DEVELOPMENT OF MUTANTS OF GLIOCLADIUM-VIRENS TOLERANT TO BENOMYL

Aqeous suspensions of conidia of Gliocaldium virens strains Gl-3 and Gl-21 were exposed to both ultraviolet radiation and ethyl methanesulfonate. Two mutants of Gl-3 and three of Gl-21 were selected for tolerance to benomyl at 10 μg · mL-1, as indicated by growth and conidial germination on benomyl-amended potato dextrose agar. The mutants differed considerably from their respective wild-type strains in appearance, growth habit, sporulation, carbon-source utilization, and enzyme activity profiles. Of 10 carbon sources tested, cellobiose, xylose, and xylan were the best for growth, galactose and glucose were intermediate, and arabinose, ribose, and rhamnose were poor sources of carbon. The wild-type strains and the mutants did not utilize cellulose as the sole carbon source for growth. Two benomyl-tolerant mutants of Gl-3 produced less cellulase (β-1,4-glucosidase, carboxymethylcellulase, filter-paper cellulase) than Gl-3. In contrast, mutants of Gl-21 produced more cellulase than the wild-type strain. Only Gl-3 provided control of blight on snapbean caused by Sclerotium rolfsii. Wild-type strain Gl-21 and all mutants from both strains were ineffective biocontrol agents.