The respiration of sclerotia of Sclerotium rolfsii

Summary The respiration of sclerotia ofS. rolfsii was investigated using the Warburg constant-volume respirometer to measure oxygen uptake. The effects of age of sclerotia, pH, and temperature were studied. Sclerotia produced on prune agar were ideal for respirometric studies, being uniformly round and of approximately equal size. On a dry weight basis, the respiration rates of sclerotia were considerably less than those of vegetative mycelium. Sclerotia showed a decrease in respiration with increasing age. This was accompanied by morphological changes in the outer hyphal rind of the sclerotium during maturation. The respiration rate of sclerotia was approximately the same at 30° and 40° C, but was significantly lower at 45° C. Respiration of sclerotia was not markedly affected by normally encountered hydrogen-ion concentrations. However, a pH of 8.0 markedly repressed oxygen uptake. Sclerotia produced in rye grain cultures were chemically analyzed. The nitrogen content was 4.7 %, the petroleum-ether-soluble lipid content was 0.7 %, and the crude glycogen content was 14.2 % of the oven dry weight of the sclerotia.Contribution No. 345 from The Department of Botany. Portion of a thesis presented by the senior author in partial fullfillment for the M.S. degree.