Growth, Conidiation, Germination, and Appressoria Formation Assays

The strains were cultured on PDA and MM agar plates at 28°C in the darkness for 4 days, and the colony diameters were measured and statistically analyzed. For conidiation assays, the strains were cultured in 200 mL liquid shaking PDB for 3 days, then were filtered with three layers of lens paper and the conidia were collected and quantified on a microscope. For germination and appressoria formation assays, the collected conidia were washed by ddH₂O twice and resuspended to a concentration of 3 × 10⁵ spores/mL and inoculated onto hydrophobic artificial surfaces or an onion epidermis for germination and appressorium formation.