Does anybody know what fungus this is?

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mbiggs934
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Joined: Thu Feb 18, 2021 10:04 am
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Does anybody know what fungus this is?

Post by mbiggs934 »

Hi! My project has to do with the antifungal properties of basil, and I was doing supplemental research into the existing colonies on basil leaves. Unfortunately, due to the weather, I was not able to get pictures of the growth until it had overgrown pretty badly. I was wondering if anyone would be able to identify this fungus?

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17eugenekim
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Re: Does anybody know what fungus this is?

Post by 17eugenekim »

Hi there,

I think it would be rather difficult to identify a fungus from visual inspection only (to any reasonable degree of accuracy, at least). Can I ask if it's necessary to identify the fungus for your project? I ask because I did a very similar project on antifungals in high school where I used mold, and at the time the prevailing advice was to simply leave it as an unidentified mold because I wouldn't be able to confirm its identity in any meaningful way. Obviously if its identity is important for your project, we'd be happy to help, but—just based on personal experience—I first want to make sure this is a necessary step. (If you are unsure if it is necessary, then feel free to supply additional details on your project and we can work that out.)
mbiggs934
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Feb 18, 2021 10:04 am
Occupation: Student

Re: Does anybody know what fungus this is?

Post by mbiggs934 »

17eugenekim wrote:Hi there,

I think it would be rather difficult to identify a fungus from visual inspection only (to any reasonable degree of accuracy, at least). Can I ask if it's necessary to identify the fungus for your project? I ask because I did a very similar project on antifungals in high school where I used mold, and at the time the prevailing advice was to simply leave it as an unidentified mold because I wouldn't be able to confirm its identity in any meaningful way. Obviously if its identity is important for your project, we'd be happy to help, but—just based on personal experience—I first want to make sure this is a necessary step. (If you are unsure if it is necessary, then feel free to supply additional details on your project and we can work that out.)
Hi,

It's not strictly necessary for the project, this was a further exploration and trying to understand why I got the results I did. Thanks so much!
ap567
Former Student Expert
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Re: Does anybody know what fungus this is?

Post by ap567 »

Hi there,

It is difficult to tell from just the image. If you can compare it directly to fungus identification charts online, I am sure that might help. Otherwise, leaving it as unidentified as the user above suggests would be perfectly fine. I understand how it may be helpful for a further exploration, but I certainly would not worry if it cannot be identified.

Again, I am not sure we can accurately tell from the picture. If you are not able to tell exactly, my suggestion is to not include it in the evaluation and call it unidentified, as you would not want it to be misidentified.

Hope that helps. Best of luck!
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