Basidiomycete cultures on perlite survive successfully repeated freezing and thawing in cryovials without subculturing

Mycelial basidiomycete cultures on perlite in cryovials survived successfully three successive cycles of freezing, storage in liquid nitrogen (LN) and thawing without noticeable changes. This indicates that using perlite as a carrier for cryopreservation could in most cases overcome difficulties caused by interrupted supply of LN or electric power during the storage. Cultures on perlite can also be reused for successive inoculations.