A, Growth on minimal agar (MA) and MA supplemented with proline and glutamate at 25°C for 14 days; growth on PDA and PDA supplemented with proline, sorbitol or NaCl at 25°C for 7 days. B, Colony size of the strains grown on PDA and PDA supplemented with proline, sorbitol or NaCl at 25°C for 7 days. C, Intracellular proline content of the strains cultured on PDA and PDA supplemented with proline, sorbitol or NaCl at 25°C for 7 days. Mycelia were collected from the plates, and the intracellular proline level was assayed according to an established protocol [2]. D, Intracellular P5C content of the strains cultured on PDA and PDA supplemented with proline, sorbitol or NaCl at 25°C for 7 days. Mycelia were collected from the plates, and the intracellular P5C level was measured according to an established protocol [2]. The error bars represent standard deviations. The statistical significance was determined using Student's t-test (*p<0.05). The assays were repeated 3 times.