Spore maturation time

Spore maturation time Winter season Summer season Summer season Not relevant ... 

Some ascospores are already mature at budburst, and within the next 6-10 weeks all of them become mature and are ejected into the air. The maximum number of mature spores is usually attained around flowering time. 

The number of spores ejected depends on the specific conditions in the orchard and the proportion of mature and ejectable spores at the time. 

On the basis of meteorological data for any given point in time, RIMpro calculates the percentages of spores which are immature, mature, ejectable, ejected or germinating, or have penetrated into the leaves, and can thus provide an up-to-date picture of the progress of primary infections. 

The second important point is that not all samples contain vitrinite. Pre-Devonian samples do not contain vitrinite since higher plants did not evolve until around this time and vitrinite is derived from higher plant remains. However, there are a number of alternative maturity scales that can be used. For example, the thermal alteration index (Staplin, 1969) and spore coloration index (Burgess, 1974) have been used... 

As the mushroom matures, spore production slows and eventually stops. At this time mushrooms are in their last hours of life. Soon decay from bacteria and other fungi sets in, reducing the once majestic mushroom into a soggy mass of fetid tissue that melts into the ground from which it sprung. 

Tissue culture is an assured method of preserving the exact genetic character of a living mushroom. In tissue culture a living specimen is cloned whereas in multispore culture new strains are created. Tissue cultures must be taken from mushrooms within twenty-four to forty-eight hours of being picked. Ifthe specimens are several days old, too dry or too mature, a pure culture will be difficult to isolate. Spores, on the other hand, can be saved over long periods of time. 

Figure 10.2 Micro XRF imaging for As, K, and Ca at the edges of mature pinna containing the lamina of pinna, pseudo-indusium, sporangium, and spore. X-ray microbeam size, 3.5x5.5pm scan step, 3.5 x 5.5 pm measurement time, IspixeP image size, 180 x 125 pixels, (a) Sample photograph by optical microscopy and the measurement area. Scale bar, pm. Elemental concentrations in each map are scaled to the maximum value for that map. 2006 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

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