A Modified Double Subculture Method for the Two-Mode Injuries Evaluation in a Stressed Fungal Spore Population

Abstract

In order to evaluate injury of a stressed fungal spore population, a modification of formerly presented double subculture method, which consists of both the conventional plate count method and the growth delay analysis method, was proposed. In this method, an apparent logarithmic growth kinetics was assumed and the previous kinetic model was improved to be able to estimate injured subpopulations in two different modes containing early occurring growth-independent and late occurring growth-dependent injuries, called the λ and μ injuries, respectively. Based on the kinetic theory developed here, this novel method was applied to heat-treated conidia of Cladosporium cladosporioides and these two mode injuries were evaluated.