
Mushrooms May Improve Soil
QualityBy Kathryn Barry
Stelljes May 26, 2000Fungi 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,
[email protected].
To obtain a press release about the groundbreaking event, please contact
Kathryn Barry Stelljes. Story contacts Thecan Caesar U.S. Department of Agriculture |