Semisolid culture medium improves mycelial recovery of Agaricus subrufescens cryopreserved in cereal grains

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of the solid and semisolid culture medium on the mycelial viability of A. subrufescens after 5-year cryopreservation at − 70 °C. Mycelia were grown in three types of whole or ground grains, with or without 5% glycerol addition in the substrate and/or in a cryotube. After 5 years of cryopreservation at − 70 °C, every treatment was thawed and recovered in malt extract culture medium with 15 (solid culture medium) or 5 g L−1 (semisolid culture medium) of agar. The semisolid recovery culture medium increased the mycelial viability recovery capacity of A. subrufescens cryopreserved for 5 years in grains with glycerol only in the cryotube, and specifically with medium-hard wheat grain without glycerol addition at all. Agar-based substrates such as malt extract agar, agar-ground grain, or the one with glycerol addition to the substrate were not effective to keep the mycelial viability, regardless of the recovery culture medium consistency. Hard and medium-hard endosperm wheat grains or hard endosperm rye grains with addition of glycerol as cryoprotectant only to the cryotube were effective to cryopreserve the fungus for 5 years without cryoprotectant addition in the substrate.