Historically, much of the early research concerning the fungus was based on plant defense mechanisms. However, once its genome was sequenced, efforts shifted to identifying the genes involved in host-parasite interaction. One of the pioneers for genetic research into Alternaria brassicicola was the Lawrence group at Virginia Bioinformatics Institute and the Genome Center at Washington University. The most common media used for A. brassicicola growth are PDA (potato dextrose agar) and V8 juice-agar. In vitro and under optimal conditions, colonies grow rapidly and appear dark green or white-grey. Spontaneous sporulation occurs at 25°C in darkness on PDA medium.
