Far‐ultraviolet sensitivity and photoreactivation of Hirsutella thompsonii

SUMMARY The far‐ultraviolet (FUV; 200–300 nm) sensitivity of four pathotypes of Hirsutella thompsonii, representative of three separate taxonomic varieties of the species, was investigated. The UV inactivation curves for the four strains were indistinguishable. A mutant exhibiting enhanced conidiation derived from the HTF‐72 strain was more FUV sensitive than the four wild type strains (fluence enhancement factor ≅ 1.5). All strains were capable of efficiently photoreactivating FUV damage by a process which appeared to enzymatic.