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Mycoparasite Hypomyces odoratus Infests Agaricus xanthodermus Fruiting Bodies in Nature

Summary

This research studied how a fungal pathogen naturally infects and damages wild mushrooms. The study provides important insights into how fungal diseases spread in nature, which has implications for both wild mushroom ecology and commercial mushroom cultivation. Impacts on everyday life: – Helps protect commercial mushroom crops by understanding how pathogens spread in nature – Provides knowledge for mushroom foragers about natural fungal diseases – Contributes to understanding ecological relationships between fungi in natural environments – Aids in developing better disease control strategies for mushroom cultivation

Background

Mycopathogens are serious threats to commercial mushroom cultivation, but little is known about their occurrence and behavior in nature. While attention is paid to pathogen infections in commercial mushroom cultures due to economic interests, infection events observed in nature are scattered and usually not deeply described.

Objective

To study and document the natural occurrence and behavior of mycopathogenic infections on Agaricus xanthodermus mushrooms in the wild, including isolation and characterization of the infecting organisms.

Results

Five strains of Hypomyces odoratus were isolated and characterized from infected A. xanthodermus mushrooms and surrounding material. The pathogen infected all developmental stages of A. xanthodermus fruiting bodies in nature, entering from the base of stipes and growing upward to caps and lamellae. The isolated strains showed typical morphological features of H. odoratus including verticillate conidiophores, multi-celled conidia, and yellow to red pigment production. Infection tests showed the strains could infect other Agaricus species but had limited effect on Pleurotus ostreatus.

Conclusion

This study provides detailed documentation of natural H. odoratus infections on wild mushrooms, showing how the pathogen spreads in nature and affects host development. The work expands understanding of the ecology and host range of this important mycopathogen beyond commercial mushroom settings.
  • Published in:AMB Express,
  • Study Type:Observational Study with Experimental Components,
  • Source: 10.1186/s13568-020-01085-5
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