What is mycorrhiza in biology? Mycorrhizal fungi What fungi do not form.
They occupy a special place in the biology of higher or vascular plants. Mycorrhiza (translated from Greek as mushroom root) arises as a result of the symbiotic coexistence of a fungus with the root of a higher plant. Mycorrhiza is found among forest trees, herbaceous vegetation and agricultural plants (wheat, etc.). It was found in plants in Paleozoic, Devonian and Carboniferous deposits.
The importance of mycorrhizae for living plants was explained for the first time in Russia in the first half. 19th century Russian scientist F.M. Kamensky, who studied the symbiotic relationship of the fungus with the herbaceous plant podelnik. Thanks to the symbiosis of fungi with roots, the nutrition of plants is improved, which are called mycotrophic due to their ability to use fungi. Based on the relationship between the roots of a higher plant and the mycelium of the fungus, three main types of mycorrhizae are distinguished: endotrophic (internal), ectotrophic (external), transitional (ectoendotrophic).
Majority herbaceous plants have endotrophic mycorrhizae. The mycelium of the fungus is located mainly in the upper part of the root; the fungus does not penetrate into the root growth cone. The mycelium of the fungus can penetrate into the cells of root hairs, forming hyphal balls, tree-like branches or bubble-like swellings there. The root cells of the plants in which the fungus has settled remain alive and gradually digest the mycelium that has penetrated them, thus obtaining nitrogen, which is not always present in an accessible form in the soil. Herbaceous plants, especially orchids, enter into a mycorrhizal relationship with microscopic fungi that do not form fruiting bodies. The seeds of most orchids are not able to germinate without the participation of a fungus; this alone explains the failures when trying to artificially propagate orchids. Blooming orchids They were mined in tropical countries, sometimes at great risk to life, and brought to Europe, where they were and still are very expensive. Therefore, the desire of plant growers to grow orchids from seeds to obtain hybrid forms is understandable. When studying the inconspicuous nesting plant, a mycorrhizal orchid plant that does not have chlorophyll, it was noticed that the hyphae of the fungus affect the germination of the seeds of this plant. The nest depends on the fungus for its entire life. Some orchids take 10 or more years to form rhizomes, and only then do they bloom. The green leaf orchid does not have such a vital dependence on mycorrhizae. As a result of the interaction of the plant with the fungus, it produces biologically active substances that enhance plant growth.
The beneficial role of mycorrhiza-forming fungi lies mainly in supplying woody plants with elements mineral nutrition and vitamins. However, in herbaceous plants, other fungi - the so-called imperfect ones - are more often involved in the formation of mycorrhiza. Ectotrophic mycorrhiza is most often found in woody plants and very rarely in herbaceous plants. In this case, an outer sheath of fungal hyphae develops on the roots of woody plants. There are no root hairs at the root; their role is played by fungal hyphae.
In woody plants, mycorrhiza of a transitional type - ectoendotrophy - is also found. The hyphae of the fungus abundantly cover the outside of the root and give off branches that penetrate into the root. The outer hyphae of the fungus draw water, mineral salts, as well as soluble nitrogen and others from the soil. organic matter. These substances coming from the soil are partially used by the plant, and some of them go towards the growth of the mycelium and the formation of the fruiting bodies of the fungus. There are no mycorrhizal fungi in the vital growing parts of the root (cylinder): if they get there, they are immediately digested by the plant cells. Mycorrhizal symbionts cannot exist without each other. If mycorrhizal fungi do not encounter tree roots, they will not form fruiting bodies. Therefore, it is very difficult to create the opportunity to grow, for example, porcini mushrooms under artificial conditions.
In the numerous species kingdom of fungi, mycorrhizal fungi are only a small part of it. For example, among 900 genera of basidiomycetes, only representatives of 91 genera are capable of producing mycorrhizal formations. Currently there are about 200 thousand. higher plants that come into contact with mycorrhizal fungi. Most favorable conditions for the development of mycorrhizae in soils depleted of soluble nitrogen and phosphorus. In soils where there is enough phosphorus and nitrogen, mycorrhiza almost never occurs.
Boletus fungi form mycorrhizae with many higher plants, sometimes systematically distant from each other, for example, with conifers and deciduous plants. Sometimes, in different habitats, mycorrhiza-formers have mycotrophic relationships with different tree species, for example, the common oiler in Leningrad region- with types of pine trees, and on Sakhalin - with other trees. The mycorrhizal mushroom red fly agaric is associated with 26 species of trees - fir, larch, spruce, pine, birch, poplar, oak, etc.
Almost all soils of the Soviet Union are suitable for mycorrhizal fungi. Mycorrhiza formation is sometimes observed in places far from the forest, and where the forest has not grown for a long time. The process of mycorrhiza formation in our northern podzolic soils is particularly intense.
Great importance mycorrhizal fungi have shelterbelts when planting. Artificial forest plantations create favorable conditions for preserving moisture in the steppe part of the country, and this affects the increase in agricultural yields. Clarification of the role of mycorrhizae in survival and development tree species in various climatic conditions of our country is still one of the most important tasks of mycology. For example, it is known that in the southern regions the formation of mycorrhizae is weaker than in the northern ones, and artificial infection of forest plantations is recommended there. The protection of fungi that form mycorrhizae is necessary for successful forestry. There are many such mushrooms in the Leningrad region.
It should be noted that there is one more natural phenomenon that affects the development of mycorrhizae in the soil. Currently, the growth of many tree species has slowed down compared to the 1930s and 1950s due to so-called acid rain, which contains products released into the atmosphere by industrial enterprises. Acidic compounds kill mycorrhizal fungi on tree roots, and after the fungus dies, the trees themselves die. The negative effects of acid rain have been noted here in the USA, Japan and other countries.
Many types of mycorrhizal fungi are edible. They are not only tasty and aromatic, but also nutritious. Mushrooms do not contain plant starch, but they do contain glycogen and sugars, which give them a sweetish taste. There is especially a lot of sugar in white, boletus, and boletus. There is more sugar in the stems of mushrooms than in the caps. The amount of protein compounds in mushrooms is greater than in meat, eggs, peas, and rye. They are concentrated mainly in the mushroom cap. Fat content ranges from 1 to 6%. Almost all edible mushrooms, as already noted, contain vitamins A, B, B 1 B 2, C, D and PP. They contain as much vitamin PP as there is in yeast and liver, and vitamin D is no less than in butter.
In terms of nutrition and taste qualities mushrooms are conventionally divided into four categories. The first category includes, for example, porcini, saffron milk caps and delicious mushrooms; to the second - boletus, boletus, milk mushrooms - inferior in quality to mushrooms of the first category; to the third - blue russula, autumn honey fungus, moss fly; The fourth category includes mushrooms that are collected only by amateurs - these are oyster mushrooms (common, autumn), goat mushroom, green russula, marsh buttercup. All mushrooms of these categories are available in our region.
Leningrad mycologist B.P. Vasilkov believes that in the regions of the North-West, Volga region, Urals and Center, the annual reserves of edible mushrooms amount to more than 150 thousand tons. More than 200 species are found in Russian forests edible mushrooms. Science cannot yet predict exactly where and when the mushroom harvest will be. The mushroom harvest depends on the weather of the current season, habitat and type of mushroom. According to available information, the yield of porcini mushroom under favorable growing conditions reaches about 500 kg, and butterdish - even 1 thousand kg per 1 hectare. In no productive years you can get only a few kilograms from 1 hectare or not at all
Nothing. In some years, mushrooms are destroyed by pests from the insect world (larvae of flies, mosquitoes, etc.).
The range of edible mushrooms collected in each region is different. In the UK and USA, wild mushrooms are not used at all. The peoples of the Far North also almost never eat mushrooms. The peoples of Central Asia and the Caucasus, as well as the Bashkirs and Tatars, are indifferent to mushrooms. Russians, on the contrary, are big fans of mushrooms. In good years they collect valuable mushrooms, and in lean years they collect all edible species.
The most interesting group is boletaceae, which includes all types of porcini mushrooms and inedible ones - satanic mushroom and gall mushroom. This also includes birch trees (obabka), aspen trees, boletus and goats. The sizes of the fruiting bodies of these mushrooms can vary depending on the place of growth - from 1-2 cm in diameter (birch in the Arctic) to half a meter in middle lane Russia, and by weight - from a few grams to 4 kg. The most common sizes are medium - up to 20 cm in diameter. The stems of fruiting bodies of the same species may differ depending on the place of growth (as well as the color of the cap). In low damp places, among mosses and herbaceous plants, the legs stretch out. and in dry places they are usually short and thickened. Cohabiting with one tree species or many tree species, sometimes systematically distant from each other, mycorrhizal fungi in some cases can apparently develop as saprotrophs (isolated from tree roots). For example, White mushroom was found on top of a huge boulder in a pine forest.
In the Leningrad region, boletus mushrooms are less diverse than in central Russia, and in the Arctic tundra only 3-4 species are known. Mass formation of fruiting bodies in boletus fungi is most often observed in August - September. Many types of boletus fungi are mycorrhiza-formers, so it is not possible to artificially obtain fruiting bodies from them, with the exception of two types of moss mushrooms. Among the boletus mushrooms in the Leningrad region, there are very few inedible ones; about 3-4 species are known. The satanic mushroom (boletus satanas) is especially often mentioned in literature as poisonous, but, according to French and Czechoslovak literature, it is a completely edible, and even tasty (boiled and fried) mushroom.
In the Leningrad region, many people are afraid of bright porcini mushrooms that turn blue at the break. However, it is quite possible to use them after preliminary boiling.
Some types of boletus mushrooms contain antibiotic substances in their fruiting bodies (spruce porcini mushroom). These substances have a negative effect on E. coli and tuberculosis microbes. Substances isolated from the white mushroom (boletus edulis) and satanic mushroom suppressed malignant tumors in mice. In the past, in Rus', mushrooms were called lips, and only in the 15th-16th centuries did they begin to call all edible boletus mushrooms. Currently, mushrooms have many popular names (boletus, obabok, butterdish, flywheel, etc.), but some species do not have such names, and in popular literature they are designated by their Latin name.
There are 750 known species of the genus Bolethus. The fruiting body of these mushrooms is usually large and fleshy. The stalk is tuberous, thickened, especially in young ones, with a characteristic relief mesh pattern. The porcini mushroom, the most nutritionally valuable of the mushrooms in the Leningrad region, has several forms, differing in the color of the fruiting body and mycorrhizal association. The cap is whitish, yellow, brownish, yellow-brown, red-brown or even almost black. The spongy layer in young specimens is pure white, later yellowish and yellowish-olive. The leg has a light mesh pattern. The flesh is white at the break, does not change. It grows under many tree species in the Leningrad region: under oak, birch, pine, spruce, but is never found under larch. The mushroom is called porcini because its flesh does not darken when cooked and prepared.
Olive-brown oakweed (Boletus luridus) is found in the Leningrad region. Its cap is olive-brown, the spongy layer is orange-red and turns sharply blue when pressed. There is a mesh pattern on the leg. Grows mainly with oak. There are practically no inedible satanic mushrooms similar to this oak mushroom in the Leningrad region. Speckled oakweed is also very rare among us. It resembles olive-brown, but does not have a reticulate pattern on the stem, instead there are only small carmine-red scales.
The boletus mushroom grows in deciduous and mixed forests. It occurs very often from June - July to September. The cap is up to 10 cm in diameter, at first convex, later cushion-shaped, white, yellow, gray, brown, brown, sometimes almost black. The pulp is white, unchanged when cut. The leg is up to 20 cm long, 2-3 cm thick, covered with dark scales. Edible, second category. The common boletus is best known in the Leningrad region. This species always settles next to birch trees of various types in forests and swamps. The pink boletus differs from the common boletus in the marbled color of its cap. Its brown areas alternate with lighter or even white ones. At the break the flesh turns pink. The fruiting bodies of this mushroom are formed only in autumn. The boletus boletus grows in damp birch forests in the first half of September; the cap is dirty white, with weak, watery pulp. The mushroom belongs to the third category. The inedible gall mushroom is very similar to the boletus mushroom, which differs from it in its dirty pink tubular layer, a mesh pattern on the stalk and bitter pulp.
The Polish mushroom (xerocomus badius) is often found in the Leningrad region. The stalk can be either tuberous or cylindrical; the cap is chestnut-brown, dry in dry weather, and sticky in damp weather; the tubular layer is first whitish (as a result of this it is often mistaken for a porcini mushroom), then pale greenish-yellowish; The flesh is whitish, turns blue at the break. Grows in coniferous, less often in deciduous forests. This is an edible mushroom and belongs to the second category.
The butterdish (suillus) is found in coniferous forests, and it is in vain to look for it in an aspen or birch forest. The fruit bodies are small or medium-sized, the cap is usually mucous, sticky, the stem is solid. The yellow oiler (Suillus luteus) is found more often than other species in the Leningrad region. It has a brown or yellow sticky cap and a stem with a sticky ring on the outside. It grows in sparse coniferous forests, on forest edges, roadsides, etc. The favorite places of the yellowish oiler (suillus flavidus) are swamps and damp areas of the forest. It should not be confused with the inedible species - pepper mushroom (suillus pipyratus), its flesh is loose, sulfur-yellow, slightly reddening, with a pungent peppery taste; grows singly in coniferous and deciduous forests. The cap is small, up to 8 cm in diameter, round-convex, fleshy, yellow-brown, copper-red, wet weather sticky, shiny when dry.
In cultivated larch plantations in the Leningrad region, boletin boletin (boletin raluster) is found; it is very similar to butterdish, but differs from it in its dry, non-sticky cap and denser pulp.
Known among herds and pigs. These are saprotrophs that develop on soil or wood. On or near pine stumps grows a thick pigwort with a rusty-brown cap and dryish light flesh. From below, the caps of the plates are descending, yellow, connecting at the base. Low-quality mushroom (fourth category).
Not all edible and poisonous mushrooms are mycorrhiza-formers. Such, for example, is the autumn honey fungus (Armillariella melea). Many honey mushrooms appear in mixed coniferous-deciduous forests. Autumn honey fungus is an edible mushroom; it surpasses all edible ones in terms of the number of fruiting bodies. cap mushrooms. Like other edible cap mushrooms, it contains many substances valuable for the human body, such as zinc and copper. The cap of this mushroom has a small tubercle, pale brown, brownish, covered with numerous brown scales. On the. the leg has a white ring that persists. The pulp is whitish, with a pleasant smell and sourish-astringent taste. A common species is the summer honey fungus (Marasmius ariadis), which is also found in the Leningrad region. Grows singly or in large groups in forest clearings, edges, pastures, in ravines and ditches, among the grass. Often forms “witch circles”. The radial growth of the mycelium dries out the soil in the center of the circle, and therefore on both sides of the ring of fruiting bodies there are circles of more luxuriantly developed and succulent vegetation, and in the center there is dried grass. The cap of this mushroom is 2 - 3 cm in diameter, prostrate, with a blunt tubercle, ocher-brown. The plates are rare, fawn. The leg is thin, fawn. The pulp is pale yellow.
The poisonous mushroom, sulfur-yellow false honey fungus, is very similar to the edible honey fungus. This dangerous mushroom can grow on the same stumps as edible honey mushrooms. The cap of the false foam is first convex, then half-spread, often with a bump in the center, yellowish, darker in the middle with a reddish or orange tint. The pulp is light yellow. The taste of the mushroom is bitter. It grows on stumps and occasionally on trees in large groups, often with legs fused together. It appears at the same time, from June to September, as edible honey mushrooms, sometimes on the same stumps. Therefore, you need to be especially careful and carefully examine all mushrooms.
Found in our forests and different kinds russula (russula), saffron milk caps (lactarius), bitters. These mushrooms are mycorrhiza-formers. Most of them are edible (categories three and four). In wet years, russula are especially numerous in the Leningrad region. They belong to the Russula family, which also includes laticifers, which secrete milky sap of various colors. For example, in camelina this juice is orange-yellow, in black milk mushroom and bitter mushroom it is white. Russulas do not have milky juice. These mushrooms have colored fruiting bodies. Some of them are also poisonous.
Russulas make up 45% of the mass of all mushrooms found in our forests. The best mushrooms are those that have less red, but more green, blue and yellow. Blue russula has white, odorless flesh. The leg is first solid, later hollow. Russula has yellow flesh with a sweet smell. False russula has white, spongy, very brittle flesh with a pungent taste. The marsh russula has a red cap, brownish in the middle. Prefers damp pine forests, edges of swamps, forms mycorrhiza with soybean. Among the milkweeds we have the camelina (Lactarius diliciosis), its cap is rounded-convex and has concentric zones. The flesh is orange, then turns green. The milky juice is orange-yellow, sweet, and turns green in the air. Camelina is an edible mushroom of the first category. Black milk mushroom (Lactarius necator) grows in birch and mixed forests. It has brittle, whitish flesh that darkens when broken.
The most famous edible mushroom is the chanterelle. Chanterelle belongs to the agaric mushrooms; About 10 species are found in the country. Chanterelles contain vitamin B[ (no less than yeast) and PP; in addition, they have microelements - zinc and copper. In the Leningrad region, yellow chanterelle (Cantarellus cibarius) and gray chanterelle are known.
The Amanitaceae family consists of both deadly poisonous (pale toadstool, stinking fly agaric) and edible mushrooms, including the pink fly agaric and various varieties of floaters.
About 30 representatives of the Amish genus are found in the country. All fungi of this genus form mycorrhizae with various tree species. The pale grebe (Amanita phalloides) has a cap of different shades of green. The edge of the cap is smooth, its shape is bell-shaped, then prostrate, with a diameter of 5-10 cm. The stem is white, expanded at the base in the form of a tuber, the ring on the outside is slightly striped, white, slightly colored on the inside. The toadstool-like fly agaric, which looks like a pale toadstool, almost always has traces of a common blanket on its cap in the form of white flakes. Old, dried toadstool mushrooms have an unpleasant, sweetish odor. The habitats of the pale grebe are damp areas under oak, birch, and maple trees, i.e., in deciduous forests. In the Leningrad region, the pale grebe is found in groups and alone. This mushroom usually appears en masse in mid-August and grows until October. Pale toadstool is the most poisonous mushroom. Poisoning appears 10-12, and sometimes 30 hours after eating it, when it is almost impossible to save a person. The deadly toxin of this mushroom is phalloidin.
The stinking fly agaric, or white toadstool (amanita viroza), is widespread in the Leningrad region. This is a large mushroom with a white, slightly yellowish cap at the top. The cap is without scales, bell-shaped, up to 12 cm in diameter. The leg is quite large, white, with a ring just under the cap; The scales make it feel rough. The smell is unpleasant. This species grows in coniferous and mixed forests, easily tolerates humidity and dry conditions, and as a result is more common in our country than the toadstool. The flesh of the cap contains large quantities of the toxins amanite and virosine, the leg contains less of these deadly toxins.
The red fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) is widespread in the Leningrad region. The mushroom cap is red or orange-red, at first sticky, then shiny. On the cap there are remnants of a white blanket in the form of white flakes. The leg is white, the ring is smooth, white, sometimes slightly yellowish. The base of the leg is swollen, covered with fragments of white vagina in the form of concentric rings. About 15 days pass from the appearance of the fruiting body to its drying. The red fly agaric contains alkaloids (muscarine, choline) and other toxic substances that are highly stimulating. nervous system. They determine the hallucinogenic properties of the red fly agaric. A person who eats a piece of red fly agaric goes into a state of ecstasy and hallucinates.
So, all edible mushrooms are a high-calorie protein product that can compete with meat and dairy products. However, the cell wall of fungi contains the carbohydrate polymer chitin, which is difficult to digest in the human stomach. In addition, the chitinous membrane of fungal cells impedes the flow of enzymes. Therefore, the more the mushrooms are crushed, the more useful substances extracted from them.
Is it possible to artificially breed mushrooms? personal plot? Mycologist F.V. Fedorov talks about successful attempts to grow the most nutritious mushrooms - white mushrooms. This is what he recommends: “On an area shaded by trees, a pit is dug, 30 cm deep and 2 m wide. It is filled with a nutrient mixture of a special composition. The mixture is prepared a month before laying. It consists of fallen oak leaves collected in the spring, rotten oak wood (5% by weight of leaves) and clean horse manure without litter (5% by weight of leaves). The leaves are placed in a heap in layers of 20 cm, each layer is sprinkled with wood dust and horse manure and watered with a 1% solution of ammonium nitrate. After 7-10 days, when the mixture warms up to 35-40°, it is shoveled until a homogeneous mass is obtained. The prepared nutrient mixture is placed in a pit in layers of 10 - 12 cm, sprinkling each layer with an eight-centimeter layer of garden soil. The total thickness of the poured soil is increased to 50 cm. In the middle, the bed is made slightly higher so that water does not linger on it. Planting is carried out with pieces of mycelium taken from the forest. The planting holes are placed in a checkerboard pattern, at a distance of 30 cm from each other. The mycelium is harvested in the oak forest, in places where porcini mushrooms grow (oak form). Around the found mushroom, layers of soil 20-30 cm in size and 10-15 cm thick are cut out with a shovel. These layers are cut into 5-10 parts and planted to such a depth that there is a layer of soil 5-7 cm thick above the piece of wood. Beds with mycelium plantings lightly moistened, covered with leaves and shields to maintain constant moisture." Mushrooms appear next year."
Mycorrhiza is a symbiosis of the roots of vascular plants with some fungi. Many tree species develop poorly without mycorrhiza. Mycorrhizae are known in most groups of vascular plants. There are only a few flowering families that do not form it, for example the Cruciferae and sedge. Many plants can develop normally without mycorrhiza, but with a good supply of mineral elements, especially phosphorus.
Mycorrhiza by appearance and the structure can be different. Tree species more often develop mycorrhiza, which forms a dense cover of thin threads around the root. Such mycorrhiza is called exotrophic (from the Greek “exo” - external and “trophe” - nutrition), since it settles on the surface of the organisms that feed it. Mycorrhiza, the hyphae of which are located inside the cells of the plants that feed it, is called endotrophic - internal. There are also transitional forms of mycorrhiza.
Several dozen species of fungi are involved in the formation of mycorrhizae, mainly from the class of basidiomycetes. In some plants, ascomycetes, phycomycetes and imperfect fungi take part in the formation of mycorrhiza.
Edible mushrooms are widely known: in the birch forest - boletus, in aspen forest - boletus. The main mycorrhiza-formers are camelina, porcini mushroom, butterfly, fly agaric and others. They can occur on one tree species or on many.
The symbiosis of the roots of higher plants with fungi developed historically on peat and humus soils; nitrogen on these soils can be available to plants thanks to fungi.
It is believed that fungi supply plants with elements of mineral nutrition, especially on soils with hard-to-reach forms of phosphorus and potassium, and participate in nitrogen metabolism.
In relation to mycorrhiza woody plants are divided into: mycotrophic (pine, larch, spruce, fir, oak, etc.), weakly mycotrophic (birch, maple, linden, elm, bird cherry, etc.), non-mycotrophic (ash, legumes, etc.).
Mycotrophic plants suffer in the absence of mycorrhizal fungi in the soil; their growth and development are greatly inhibited. Slightly mycotrophic ones can grow in the absence of mycorrhiza, but with it they develop more successfully.
Mycorrhiza is of great importance in the life of forest species. The presence of mycorrhiza and its in-depth study as a phenomenon of cohabitation with plants was first discovered and carried out by Kamensky (1881). He studied the interaction of mycorrhizae under spruce, beech and some other coniferous species.
Mycorrhiza is characteristic of the entire group coniferous species, as well as oak, beech, birch, etc. It has been established that without mycorrhiza the normal development of most woody plants is impossible. It contributes to a better supply of moisture and nutrients to the plant.
Mycorrhiza is formed by different types of fungi, mainly cap mushrooms, which are widespread in our forests. On the roots of forest species, fungal plexuses (mycelia) are formed annually, which in the spring penetrate into the tissues and cells of the sucking tips of the roots, enveloping them in mushroom sheaths. By autumn the mycorrhiza dies off.
Mycorrhiza performs the function of roots. It supplies forest species with water, and therefore with nutrients dissolved in water, causes stronger branching of the root system, thereby increasing the active surface of the roots in contact with the soil, destroys humus substances in the soil and converts them into compounds available to trees. It is believed that mycorrhiza protects trees from toxic substances in the soil.
The cohabitation of roots with fungi causes faster growth of trees. Back in 1902, G.N. Vysotsky established that in steppe regions, oak and pine seedlings take root better and grow well if there is mycorrhiza on their roots.
Numerous domestic studies, especially Lately, showed that normal growth of most tree species - oak, hornbeam, conifers - is impossible without mycorrhiza. Euonymus, acacia, and fruit trees and some other breeds. They can grow without mycorrhiza, but nevertheless form it, linden, birch, elm, most of bushes.
Mycorrhiza has acquired great importance in connection with protective afforestation, especially in the steppe, where the soil does not contain mycorrhiza.
For the success of steppe afforestation, the most important measure is the infection of crops with mycorrhiza.
The fungus also, as a result of symbiosis with the root system of a woody plant, apparently uses some nitrogen-free substances present in the root system of a woody plant.
Plants with mycorrhizae on their roots are classified as mycotrophic plants, while plants without mycorrhizae are classified as autotrophic. No mycorrhiza was found in leguminous plants, but special nodules with nitrogen-fixing bacteria form on their roots. Ash, privet, euonymus, scumpia, apricot, mulberry and other woody plants do not form mycorrhizae, even if they grow in forest conditions.
Many forest species (elm and other elms, maple, linden, alder, aspen, birch, rowan, apple and pear, willow, poplar, etc.) form mycorrhiza in forest conditions. In conditions unfavorable for the development of mycorrhiza, they grow without mycorrhiza.
Obviously, knowledge of these factors is necessary for the forester when carrying out silvicultural work and especially in non-forest areas, where it is necessary to add mycorrhizal soil when growing mycotrophic plants in the nursery or directly in planting or sowing areas.
Mycorrhiza plays vital role in supplying plants with water and nutrient solutions, but its role is not limited to this. The problem is poorly studied and poorly reflected in widely available sources.
For too long mycorrhiza has remained without a motto!
I will briefly outline the main features of mycorrhiza. Translated into Russian mycorrhiza - fungal root. Mycorrhiza is a symbiosis of fungi and roots, without which most plants cannot live and develop normally.
It has been established that approximately 98% of higher plants on Earth are not able to fully live and develop without mycorrhiza.
According to the information I have, they are highly respected in flora for its gigantic size and powerful enzymatic apparatus. Their hyphae (mycelium) sometimes spread hundreds of meters in width and deep down, and the mass can sometimes reach several tons.
The very powerful enzymatic apparatus of fungi is capable of producing a wide variety of enzymes - special proteins that play the role of catalysts in living nature. They can break down a variety of nutrients in the soil both detritus itself and humin molecules from the humus nutrient reserve.
Entering into a symbiotic relationship with plant roots, fungi receive glucose from them, and in return supply the plants with water and nutrient solutions.
In the presence of mycorrhiza, plants never experience water starvation. Mycorrhiza is the most powerful source of water for plants. The suction surface area of mycorrhiza-forming fungi is 100 times greater than the suction surface of the root. Mycorrhiza improves root nutrition of plants 15 times.
Mycorrhiza supplies plants with mineral salts, vitamins, enzymes, biostimulants, hormones and other active substances, and it is mycorrhiza that provides the main supply of plants with deficient phosphorus and potassium.
It has been established that even such widely used agricultural crops as grain and fodder cereals, legumes, potatoes, and sunflowers are also mycotrophic. If the roots of these plants have mycorrhizal fungi, their productivity can increase from 10 to 15 times.
Symbiotic mycorrhiza-forming plants are boletus, boletus, boletus, russula, red fly agaric, which is poisonous to humans, and so on. The more different mushrooms collected to introduce mycorrhiza into the soil of the site, the better.
There is no need to try to use saprophytic mushrooms: honey mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, champignons, dung beetles, puffballs and similar mushrooms, since they are not capable of forming mycorrhizae.
In addition, symbiotic fungi have a strong protective effect on plants by secreting a large number of antibiotics that suppress pathogenic organisms.
How to introduce mycorrhiza into the soil under trees and shrubs? It is advisable to use cap mushrooms, as they are the most powerful and form perennial mycorrhizae.
It makes sense to look for mushrooms not only in the forest, but also in old apple and pear orchards, where you can find mushrooms, milk mushrooms, pigs and russula.
Action plan. Pick any edible mushrooms. Soak well-ripened caps for 24 hours in clean water, then water the mulch under trees and shrubs with this water. As a result, fungal spores will enter the soil. It is optimal to introduce fungal spores into thick layer sawdust
If you have a dog, take it with you to look for mushrooms. I think that she can help you by finding mushrooms by smell, and you won’t have to wander through the forest in vain, but will only have to cut off the mushrooms she finds and put them in a basket. It is not for nothing that in Europe they use specially trained dogs, as well as pigs, to search for the most expensive mushrooms (truffles).
When transplanting seedlings of trees and shrubs from the forest, be sure to take a couple of buckets of the soil in which they grew - this way you can almost guarantee that they will be provided with mycorrhiza.
I will try to introduce mycorrhiza not only under all the trees and shrubs, but also, as an experiment, into the soil of some garden beds. If it is possible to provide mycorrhiza garden plants, they will produce bumper crops! I will watch and compare. I'll let you know the results.
If there are problems with collecting mushrooms, you can use biological preparations Mycoplant And Trichodermin, following the instructions for their use. Most likely, I will have to use these preparations to provide the trees and shrubs of the ecopark with mycorrhiza, because I will be planting them long before the mushroom season, and in general I have regular problems with collecting mushrooms.
It is believed that drugs Mycoplant And Trichodermin are not particularly good in our climate: it is much more effective to use fungal spores - these are the best mushrooms for the formation of mycorrhiza, so I will specifically breed them in the garden and in ecopark Z.
On September 3, 2016, my neighbor and I went to the forest to pick mushrooms. I collected two buckets of white boletuses, boletus and aspen mushrooms. On the morning of September 4th, I finely chopped the mushroom caps, poured them into three 20-liter buckets, filled them with water and mixed them several times. I cleaned the mushroom stems, boiled them and fried them.
On September 5th, I watered the soil under the bushes and trees with water containing fungal spores to additionally provide them with mycorrhiza - judging by the apple harvests, there is probably mycorrhiza under the apple trees. To strain the water with spores, I had to buy a plastic colander for 39 rubles.
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Continuation
For the reasons stated on the page
Kira Stoletova
Everything on our planet is interconnected. A striking example This is explained by the concept of mushroom root. If you take this word apart, it means the life of a fungus on the root of a plant. This is one of important stages symbiosis, which implies the life of a representative of one class at the expense of another and has the definition of mycorrhiza. But this does not always happen in nature. Some fungi do not form mycorrhizae and develop independently.
What is mushroom root
The concept itself is embedded in the word. This is one of the facts of the existence of a joint tandem between representatives of fungi and plants: the fungus develops on the roots of trees and shrubs, it forms a mycelium that penetrates into the thickness of the plant bark.
There are several types of mycorrhizal fungi that can develop both on the surface layers and penetrate directly into the thickness of the root, sometimes piercing it through. This is especially true for bushes.
The mushroom feeds at the expense of its “host” - and this is an indisputable fact. But if you conduct detailed research, you can emphasize the benefits for each party.
At the same time, the mushroom itself also helps the plant to develop normally, providing it with the necessary nutritional components. It makes the roots of the plant more loose, due to the fact that they are intertwined with mycelium. The porous structure allows the plant to absorb more moisture and, accordingly, additional nutrients.
At the same time there is extra quality- ability to extract nutrients from different types soil As a result, when a tree is unable to obtain the necessary components from environment, mycorrhizal fungus comes to the rescue, delivering for itself and its owner an additional portion for life and development. Which will prevent both representatives from drying out.
Varieties
The following fungi form mycorrhizae with roots:
- Myccorisa ectotrophyca – spreads only in the upper layers;
- Myccorisa endotrophyca - the mycelium develops in the thickness of the root, sometimes piercing the body almost right through;
- Ectotrophyca, endotrophyca myccorisa (mixed type) - characterized by the peculiarity of each of the upper species, spreading its mycelium both on the surface and in the thickness of the root;
- Peritrophyca myccorisa is a simplified form of symbiosis and at the same time a new stage in development. It is located near the root without penetration of shoots.
What fungi form mycorrhiza with roots?
The group of the above types includes many representatives of edible and inedible classes:
- Gymnosperms;
- Monocots;
- Dicotyledons.
Their representatives are considered to be the beloved porcini mushrooms, aspen mushrooms, honey mushrooms, chanterelles, and boletus mushrooms. Some types of fungi got their name precisely due to their distribution on a specific plant representative. For example, aspen and boletus, birch and boletus, as well as others.
It is worth noting that a representative of the poisonous class, the fly agaric, forms its mycelium on the surface coniferous trees. And although it is not edible, it provides its “owner” with 100% nutritional components.
Fungi that do not form mycorrhizae
Conclusion
In the world there are both fungi that do not form mycorrhiza and those that do. Among all listed types There are both edible and poisonous. But it is necessary to understand that each representative is very important, it performs certain functions in nature and without it, perhaps some vital biological processes would not occur.