The fungal pure culture collection was founded in 1970 at the former Institute of Zoology and Botany. The collection is registered at the World Federation for Culture Collections (acronym TFC, i.e. Tartu Fungal Culture Collection). Presently the collection contains ca 1200 fungal strains representing ca 370 fungal species from Europe, Russian Far East and Middle Asia (list_TFC_2020), of which 1051 are databased in PlutoF living culture modul. The cultures are mostly preserved as two replicas in tubes on appropriate malt, potato-dextrose or corn-meal agar slants and are transferred every 12 to 18 months. The collection mostly preserves cultures in ordinary refrigerators and isolates from warmer or tropic areas are maintained in incubators. The fungal strains are stored at +6…+8 or +18 degrees C.
In addition to fungal cultures isolated by scientists or students of the former Institute of Zoology and Botany (later from scientists of the University of Life Sciences), numerous cultures have been obtained from other countries. Among the most represented taxa are wood-decaying fungi, for example Hymenochaete (33 spp., including one ex-holotype isolate of Hymenochaete koeljalgii Parmasto) and Phellinus (22 spp.). The collection also includes strains of some endophytic and forest pathogenic fungi.
Curator: Anu Kollom (anu.kollom@emu.ee)
Address: Fungal Culture Collection
Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Estonian University of Life Sciences
Kreutzwaldi 5, 51006 Tartu
Estonia