Recovery of fungi after storage for over a quarter of a century

This paper discusses the recovery of a sample of strains originally preserved on silica gel over the period 1970–1973. Fifty-three strains were tested of which 18 recovered, demonstrating survival for more than 20 years. The recovery of 26 of the strains is directly compared with that of replicates from oil storage and freeze-drying. A summary of storage of 421 strains by the silica gel technique is given, reporting survival of 64% for a quarter of a century or more. The technique is ideal for preserving sporulating fungi of the Ascomycota and many species of mitotic fungi for laboratories of limited facilities.