We have observed that cotton can undergo color change when moisture conditions of the cotton sample would not be expected to support bacterial activity, which normally requires free water. Several fungi can grow under low moisture conditions. When fungal spores germinate, germ tubes are produced. These extensions from the spore might be large enough so that even if fungal growth stops, it might be possible for this larger fungal body to influence cotton color. The results from this study demonstrated that a spore presence alone can influence color change; for example, increasing application of spore density from 0.0X to 1.0X, of Aspergillus niger Tiegh. on cotton increased Rd from 0.6 to 11.2, but the impact on +b was small. The color changes were significantly greater for A. niger and Penicillium sp. spores when conditions permitted spores to germinate. Application of spores on cottons with different levels of stickiness usually resulted in small, but not significant, color changes associated with increased cotton stickiness.
