Carrot agar

From BugwoodWiki

Contents 1 Purpose 2 Ingredients 3 Instructions 4 Notes 5 References 6 Contributed by

Purpose

Carrot agar can be used to enhance sporulation of a variety of fungi such as Alternaria, Cercospora, and Thielaviopsis. It is also recommended for sporangial production of Phytophthora species that produce aerial mycelium. Pythium and Phytophthora species that produce sporangia in water should be grown on this medium first, diced, and immersed in water.

Ingredients

Ingredient	*1L*
Granulated Agar	5 g
Fresh Carrots	400 g

Instructions

1. Wash, peel and dice carrots
2. Place carrots into a flask with 400 mL of water
3. Autoclave for 20 minutes
4. Blend the carrots in a blender until the mixture appears smooth
5. Add another 500 mL of water (using some to rinse the blender)
6. Add agar and autoclave for 30 minutes
7. Cool to 50-55°C
8. Pour into petri plates
9. Let set for at least 3 days to determine if there is any contamination

Notes

• Can use shredded carrots to save time
• May need to adjust the agar amount dependent upon the brand
• Autoclave times are important to avoid contamination
• Pour plates thick, regular thickness plates can dry out before incubation is done (can take up to 6 weeks)
• Some Fusarium spp. May be more fertile on a ½ strength of this media, but not tested thoroughly
• Carrot agar can be used to enhance sporulation of a variety of fungi such as Alternaria, Cercospora, and Thielaviopsis. It is also recommended for sporangial production of Phytophthora species that produce aerial mycelium.
• Pythium and Phytophthora species that will produce sporangia in water should be grown on this medium first, diced, and immersed in water.
• Carrot agar contains debris that makes viewing structures of oomycetes through the bottom of the Petri dish difficult. The medium can be clarified by centrifugation before autoclaving, or by aseptically filtering through polypropylene mesh after autoclaving.

References

• Leslie, J.F. and Summerell, B.A. 2006. The Fusarium Laboratory Manual. Blackwell Publishing Ames, IA p. 12-13

Contributed by

From the University of Florida Plant Disease Clinic-GNV mediabook: originally created by Gary Simone; contributed by Anne Vitoreli.

From the Culture Media for Plant Pathogenic Fungi and Bacteria, University of Massachusetts: Contributed by Robert L. Wick