Sterile morphological variants of the self-fertile Cochliobolus pallescens were obtained. Certain combinations of such strains formed fruit bodies. Selected strains were submitted to a genetic analysis, which resulted in the F2 to stable sterile mutants. These can be used to phenocopy mating types. Thus this fungus can be used for genetic experiments requiring meiotic recombination. This opens the possibility of using the mutants as recipients (zero strains) in strain improvement by genetic engineering for the anamorphic closely related Curvularia lunata, which is of great biotechnological value for the 11-OH hydroxylation of steroids.