Indole-3-acetic acid, glucose, and inoculum influence the formation and distribution of basidiocarps of Pholiota malicola in culture

Combinations of light, glucose, 10-4 or 10-3 M indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), and the developmental stage of the inoculum influenced the growth in culture of Pholiota malicola. Vegetative inoculum formed basidiocarps on potato glucose agar (PDA) only with 3 or 4%, and not with 1 or 2% glucose unless IAA was added. In the light on 2% glucose in PDA, using either whole or parts of immature or mature basidiocarps as inoculum, basidiocarps formed and IAA increased their size and numbers. When the cap was used as inoculum its orientation, pileus up or down, determined whether the basidiocarps formed were solitary, in a cluster or scattered. In the dark using all of the aforementioned types of inoculum, IAA promoted the growth of a mass of vegetative mycelium at the inoculation point and enlargement of carpophore parts, but new basidiocarps did not develop.