Saprophytic behaviour of Cephalosporium maydis and C. acremonium

SUMMARY The competitive saprophytic ability (CSA) of Cephalasporium maydis was smaller at 30 d̀C when measured by the agar‐plate modification than by the original Cambridge method. The agar‐plate method suggested that C. maydis was a less competitive saprophyte than C. acremonium although both were low in CSA. C. acremonium grows and sporulates well on organic and synthetic media. C. maydis grows faster but is more exacting nutritionally and is less able to decompose cellulose or maize straw than C. acremonium . Neither fungus produced pectolytic culture filtrates and both were susceptible to antibiotics produced by soil micro‐organisms. C. maydis survived on maize straw much longer than C. acremonium . In field soils C. maydis colonized and survived in supplemented wheat bran poorly and not below the top 20 cm of soil.