Comparison of staining effects of four staining techniques for observation of Sphaerotheca fuliginea
4种染色方法对甜瓜白粉病菌染色效果的观察比较

Commassie brilliant blue staining can clearly display the different structures of Sphaerotheca fuliginea, such as germinating conidia, initial germtubes, hyphae and conidiophores, and hardly stain the host tissue, presenting a striking contrast between fungus and host tissue. Aniline blue staining can stain the host tissue, forming a light blue background, which results in unsatisfactory observation of fungal structures. Fluorescence staining with uranine and aniline blue generated yellow-green fluorescence in the fungal structures under UV or blue light, and the black background of host tissues gave rise to strong contrast for observation. The uranine staining can be used to observe the whole growing phases of Sphaerotheca fuliginea, while aniline blue staining is suitable for conidial observation.