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  • From: "Lawrence F. London, Jr." <london AT metalab.unc.edu>
  • To: market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu
  • Subject: Mushrooms May Improve Soil Quality (fwd)
  • Date: Fri, 26 May 2000 23:20:38 -0400 (EDT)



---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 26 May 2000 09:39:27 -0400
From: ARS News Service <isnv AT ars-grin.gov>
To: ARS News List <ars-news AT ars-grin.gov>
Subject: Mushrooms May Improve Soil Quality

STORY LEAD:
Mushrooms May Improve Soil Quality

___________________________________________

ARS News Service
Agricultural Research Service, USDA
Kathryn Barry Stelljes, (510) 559-6069, stelljes AT asrr.arsusda.gov
May 26, 2000
___________________________________________

Fungi known as basidiomycetes--the same group that produces edible
mushrooms-- may play a key role in maintaining and improving soil quality,
Agricultural Research Service scientists found.

In many basidiomycetes, the underground parts of the fungi--known as
filaments and hyphae--produce sugary substances that bind soil particles.
This binding together, or aggregation, reduces soil compaction and allows
roots, oxygen and water to move through the soil.

Mushrooms are typically associated with cool, damp, forested areas where
they help to decompose fallen trees. But ARS microbiologist TheCan Caesar
found that basidiomycetes are widespread and important components of many
types of soils.

However, in open environments, the underground filaments may be plentiful
without producing above-ground mushrooms, so their role was not well
understood. Basidiomycetes are the second largest group of fungi known to
science.

The fungi survive with or without living plants and thrive on straw, or crop
residue, left over after harvest. Caesar found greater numbers of the
fungi--and better soil--in land that had been cropped without tilling. So in
addition to reducing erosion, no-till practices could help improve soil
quality by fostering basidiomycete populations.

The presence and number of these fungi may also serve as a good indicator of
soil quality.

Caesar works at the ARS Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory in
Sidney, Mont. ARS breaks ground on May 27 for a new 21,470-square-foot
laboratory to expand on the existing four buildings that cover 24,000 square
feet at the site. A new 5,863-square-foot insect quarantine lab will also be
built to aid in biological control research.

ARS is the chief research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

___________________________________________

Scientific contact: TheCan Caesar, ARS Northern Plains Agricultural Research
Laboratory, Sidney, Mont., phone (406) 433-9411, fax (406) 433-5038,
caesart AT sidney.ars.usda.gov. To obtain a press release about the
groundbreaking event, please contact Kathryn Barry Stelljes.





  • Mushrooms May Improve Soil Quality (fwd), Lawrence F. London, Jr., 05/26/2000

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