ABSTRACT
The Deuteromycota (deuteromycetes) is a heterogeneous and artificial (does not reflect phylogeny) phylum erected on the production of asexual spores called conidia that are formed on conidiophores. The conidiophores develop either free on mycelium or are enclosed in structures called conidiomata (fruiting structures). Laboratory exercises for the deuteromycetes are designed to teach students how to recognize different asexual reproductive structures and the role of environmental conditions or nutrition on the shapes and forms of the conidiomata. The Mycelia Sterilia includes genera of fungi within the deuteromycetes that do not produce asexual spores at all. Many of the fungi within the Mycelia Sterilia are economically important pathogens (e.g., Rhizoctonia and Sclerotium species) and are included in this chapter to teach students important characteristics used for their identification.
