ThzID1-M3 was formulated into calcium alginate pellets as previously described. As controls for some experiments, additional pellets were made that did not contain fungal biomass. Fsp was grown in flasks with wheat straw, water, and malt extract (20:20:1, w/w) at room temperature for 45 days with 12 h of light per day (1 day/night per day). Conidia were collected from medium by filtration with 4 layers of cheesecloth, then centrifuged for 10 min at 800 × g. Conidia were washed with sterile distilled water. The conidia concentration was determined using a hemacytometer.