I was entertaining an idea of trying to grow Oyster Mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus), for example from this kit http://www.fungi.com/kits/indoor.html .
Online search shows that these mushrooms can attack live trees as well as dead material. Want to share the results of my search.
Has anybody seen Oyster mushroom attacking fruit trees?
"Wood Decay Fungi in Landscape Trees" http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74109.html gives this list:
acacia, alder, ash, beech, birch, chestnut, elm, eucalyptus, fir, hackberry, holly, horse chestnut, linden, magnolia, maple, oak, pecan, persimmon, poplar, spruce, tulip tree, walnut, and willow
... and this description of the disease:
"Fungus decays heartwood and sapwood, causing a white, flaky rot. Infections occur through open wounds and decay is most extreme when wounds are large. A cluster of shelflike mushrooms, each 2-8 inches wide, is produced annually and can indicate localized decay or heart rot that extends 10 feet in either direction. The mushrooms are smooth on the upper surface with gills that characteristically extend down along the stalk on the lower surface. "
It can attack grapes:
http://www.apsnet.org/pd/SEARCH/1995/PD_79_1187C.asp
And, most dangerously, Oyster mushrooms can attack toilet paper!
http://www.anbg.gov.au/fungi/ecology-woodrot.html
:-)
I'll pass growing Oyster mushrooms for now.
I would not be surprised if Oyster mushrooms has actually different subspecies, some of which are not parasitic at all. This is the situation, for example, with Honey mushroom (Armillaria mellea). It turns out there are more than a dozen of species, which are hard to distinguish from each other. Some of these species were found to be purely saprophytic, others are very virulent.
Andriy
_______________________________________________
nafex mailing list
nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
Reproduction of list messages or archives is not allowed.
This includes distribution on other email lists or reproduction on web sites.
Permission to reproduce is NEVER granted, so don't claim you have permission!
**YOU MUST BE SUBSCRIBED TO POST!**
Posts from email addresses that are not subscribed are discarded.
No exceptions.
----
To subscribe or unsubscribe, go to the bottom of this page (also can be used to change other email options):
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex
File attachments are NOT stripped by this list.
TAKE STEPS TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM COMPUTER VIRUSES!
Please do not send binary files.
Use plain text ONLY in emails!
NAFEX web site: http://www.nafex.org/
Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.