A new cryopreservation method using perlite as a carrier was evaluated on a large set of mycelial cultures of basidiomycetes. The viability and some other characteristics – growth, macro- and micromorphology and laccase production – of 442 strains were tested after 48-h and then after three-year storage in liquid nitrogen using a perlite protocol (PP). All (100%) of them survived successfully both 48-h storage and 3-year storage in liquid nitrogen without noticeable growth and morphological changes. Also laccase production was unchanged
