Growth and protein content in Colletotrichum circinans, Fusarium solani and Rhizoctonia solani in liquid culture

The phytopathogenic fungi Colletotrichum circinans, Fusarium solani, and Rh izoctonia solani were incubated in aerated (0, 0.5, 1 dm(3) min(-1)) potato dextrose broth (PDB) or Czapek-Dox broth (CDB), under 0-, 12- or 24-h phot operiods. Greater dry mass was produced in PDB. Higher air flows improved d ry mass of F. solani and R. solani. The 24-h photoperiod improved F. solani dry mass. Except for F. solani, which was not affected, incubation in PDB increased protein content. The no air treatment increased protein content i n F. solani, 0.5 dm(3) min(-1) produced the highest protein content in R. s olani, but air flow-rate did not affect C. circinans. Incubation in the dar k produced the lowest protein content in C. circinans, the highest under th e 24-h photoperiod for R. solani, and photoperiod did not affect protein co ntent in F. solani. Protein content in R. solani, incubated in CDB, was low est at the 0 dm(3) min(-1) air flow at all photoperiods. Molecular masses o f most proteins were under 30 kDa, and numbers of bands in SDS-PAGE gels va ried with air flow. In CDB, especially under 12- or 24-h photoperiods, prot eins in F. solani were between 1.6 and 310 kDa. For R. solani in PDB, at 0. 5 dm(3) min(-1) air flow and 12-h light, proteins were between 6 and 81 kDa .