NUTRITIONAL STUDIES ON FUSARIUM LINI

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Abstract
F. lini (flax wilt organism) was grown on Fermi''s medium with sugars replacing glycerine in various concentrations. Mycelial dry weight, determined weekly, indicated that on the basis of total C per molecule, the nutritional value of the sugars is in the following descending order: glucose > maltose > sucrose > levulose > xylose > arabinose>mannose>galactose. The nutritional value of N sources, when equalized on the basis of total N, was in the following descending order: KNO3>Ca(NO3)2> ammonium lactate> dibasic ammonium phosphate > asparagin>KNO2> (NH4)2SO4>urea>Ca(NO2)2. Labile material toxic to F. lini, present in filter-sterilized flax juice, reduced the fungus growth in Fermi''s medium; similar amounts of autoclaved juice increased it. There was more toxic material in the extract from wilt-resistant flax than in that from non-resistant. Evidence of the presence of larger quantities of HCN in resistant than in non-resistant flax extract was obtained by distilling the extract into standardized AgNO3 and titrating with KCN. Since HCN is toxic to F. lini, resistance to it may be due to certain quantities of the cyanogenetic glucoside in flax, from which HCN may be released when the tissues are injured by the fungus.

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