ABSTRACT
For about 70 years genetic analyses of Claviceps purpurea have been performed (e.g. Kirchhoff, 1929); nevertheless, genetic data available are still rather scarce, mainly due to intrinsic experimental problems, which place this fungus far apart from being a genetic model organism: the generation time is extremely long and —since it involves parasitic culture of the fungus-the conditions of obtaining sexual progeny are rather complex; biotechnologically relevant strains normally are imperfect and even do not produce conidia; and, last but not least, C. purpurea strains tend to be instable during prolonged vegetative cultivation. Nevertheless, due to the development of molecular genetic approaches, and due to growing interest in C. purpurea as a pathogen, in recent years genetic research in C. purpurea has been intensified. In some recent review articles on C. purpurea also genetic data have been included (e.g. Socic and Gaberc-Porekar, 1992; Tudzynski et al., 1995; Lohmeyer and Tudzynski, 1997).
