A green pigment similar to the pg fraction of p type humic acids and related compounds produced by litter-decomposing fungi

Abstract

The coloring matter of fruiting bodies which were formed by wood-decomposing fungi (Ascoroycetes, Xylariaceae) was investigated. Alkali-soluble green pigments showing absorption spectra similar to that of Pg were obtained from the fruiting bodies of three species, Hypoxylon annulatum, Hypoxylonsp., and one unidentified fungus. Alkali-insoluble perylene-quinones were detected in all the fruiting bodies examined. The organisms most likely to produce Pg and/or its precursor were selected from the viewpoint of the chemical nature of the pigments and the ecology of the organisms. It was concluded that a mycorrhiza former Cenoccocum graniforme, and five litter decomposers (Alternaria tenius, Aureobasidium pullulans, Hypoxylon annulatum, and two others) were producers of Pg and/or its precursor. On the other hand, Elsinoe sp., Cercosporina sp., and Cladosporium sp. which are parasites and whose pigments were found to be chemically different from Pg, were not considered to be main producers of the Pg precursor. © 1976 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.