Effect of nutrients on spore germination of Gliocladium roseum and Ophiostoma piceae

Biological control agents that are applied as spore suspensions must germin ate to exert their desired effects. Nutrients are one possible factor that can be manipulated to enhance spore germination and subsequent microbial co lonization of wood. Sugar alcohols, inorganic and organic nitrogen compound s (amino acids) were evaluated for their ability to selectively enhance ger mination of spores (conidia) of Gliocladium roseum. While sugar alcohols an d inorganic nitrogen compounds showed no selective effect on spore germinat ion of G. roseum, some of the amino acids, notably L-phenylalanine and beta -alanine, selectively enhanced germination of G. roseum over Ophiostoma pic eae.