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 mineral nutrition elements 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 other organic substances from the soil. 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. The most favorable conditions for the development of mycorrhizae are 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 places habitats, mycorrhiza-formers have mycotrophic relationships with various 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 especially intense.

Mycorrhizal fungi are of great importance when planting forest shelterbelts. 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 the survival and development of tree species in various climatic conditions 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 management 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.

Based on nutritional value and taste, mushrooms are conventionally divided into four categories. The first category includes, for example, porcini, saffron milk caps - valuable and tasty 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 of edible mushrooms are found in Russian forests. 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. Peoples are indifferent to mushrooms Central Asia, Caucasus, as well as Bashkirs and Tatars. 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.

An oil can (suillus) comes across 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. Favorite places for the yellow butterfly (suillus flavidus) are swamps and damp areas forests. 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, sticky in wet weather, shiny in dry weather.

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 cap mushrooms in terms of the number of fruiting bodies. 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 at first convex, then half-spread, often with a tubercle 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 different shades Green colour. 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 beneficial substances are 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, dig a pit 30 cm deep and 2 m wide. It is filled with a nutrient mixture special staff. 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 pure 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 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 plays a 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 the plant world for their 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 you can provide garden plants with mycorrhiza, they will produce unprecedented yields! 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

1.What is mycorrhiza?

2. Mycorrhizal fungi, or symbiotrophs.

3. The role of mycorrhiza in plant life.

Mycorrhiza (from the Greek mykes - mushroom and rhiza - root), fungal root, mutually beneficial cohabitation (symbiosis) of the mycelium of the fungus with the root of a higher plant. There are ectotrophic (external) Mycorrhiza, in which the fungus entwines the integumentary tissue of the endings of young roots and penetrates into the intercellular spaces of the outermost layers of the cortex, and endotrophic (internal), which is characterized by the introduction of mycelium (fungal hyphae) into the cells. Ectotrophic Mycorrhiza is characteristic of many trees (oak, spruce, pine, birch), shrubs (willow), some shrubs (dryad) and herbaceous plants (buckwheat viviparous). Young roots of these plants usually branch, their ends thicken, the growing part of the roots is enveloped in a thick, dense fungal sheath, from which fungal hyphae extend into the soil and along the intercellular spaces into the root to the depth of one or several layers of bark, forming the so-called. Hartig network; the root hairs die off (euectotrophic type of Mycorrhiza). In the arctic shrub, an arctic and herbaceous plant, the wintergreen hyphae of the large-flowered fungus penetrate not only into the intercellular spaces, but also into the cells of the cortex (ectoendotrophic type of Mycorrhiza). Ectotrophic Mycorrhizae are most often formed by hymenomycetes (genus Boletus, Lactarius, Russula, Amanita, etc.), less often by gasteromycetes. Not one, but several species of fungi can participate in the formation of Mycorrhiza on the roots of one plant. However, as a rule, only certain mycorrhizal fungi are found in plant communities - symbionts of these plant species.

With the development of endotrophic Mycorrhiza, the shape of the roots does not change, root hairs usually do not die, a fungal sheath and a “Hartig network” are not formed; The hyphae of the fungus penetrate into the cells of the crustal parenchyma. In plants of the heather, wintergreen, lingonberry and cucumber families, the fungal hyphae in the cells form balls, which are later digested by the plant (ericoid type of Mycorrhiza). Phycomycetes (genus Endogone, Pythium) participate in the formation of this type of mycorrhiza. In plants of the orchid family, fungal hyphae from the soil penetrate into the seed, forming balls that are then digested by the cells of the seed. Of the fungi, this type of Mycorrhiza is characteristic of imperfect ones (genus Rhizoctonia) and less often - basidiomycetes (genus Armillaria, etc.). The most common in nature - in many annual and perennial grasses, shrubs and trees of various families - is the phycomycete type of Mycorrhiza, in which the hyphae of the fungus penetrate through the cells of the epidermis of the root, localizing in the intercellular spaces and cells of the middle layers of the crustal parenchyma. Mycorrhiza has a beneficial effect on the plant: due to the developed mycelium, the absorbing surface of the root increases and the flow of water and nutrients into the plant increases. Mycorrhizal fungi are probably capable of decomposing some soil organic compounds that are inaccessible to plants and producing substances such as vitamins and growth activators. The fungus uses some substances (possibly carbohydrates) that it extracts from the plant root. When cultivating forests on soil that does not contain mycorrhizal fungi, small quantities of forest soil are added to it, for example, when sowing acorns, soil from an old oak forest is added.

Mycorrhizal fungi, or symbiotrophs.

A special group of forest soil fungi consists of very numerous mycorrhizal fungi. This is one of the main groups of mushrooms in the forest. Mycorrhiza - a symbiosis of the roots of higher plants with fungi - is formed in most plants (with the exception of aquatic ones), both woody and herbaceous (especially perennial). In this case, the mycelium located in the soil comes into direct contact with the roots of higher plants. Based on how this contact occurs, three types of mycorrhizae are distinguished: endotrophic, ectotrophic and ectoendotrophic.

In endotrophic mycorrhizae, characteristic of most herbaceous plants, and especially of the orchid family, the fungus spreads mainly inside the root tissues and relatively little comes out. The roots bear normal root hairs. For most orchid species, such mycorrhiza is obligate, i.e. the seeds of these plants cannot germinate and develop in the absence of the fungus. For many other herbaceous plants, the presence of a fungus is not so necessary. Herbaceous plants enter into mycorrhizal symbiosis with microscopic fungi that do not form large fruiting bodies. In endotrophic mycorrhiza, biologically active substances such as vitamins produced by the fungus are probably of great importance for higher plants. In part, the fungus supplies the higher plant with nitrogenous substances, since part of the fungal hyphae located in the root cells is digested by them. The fungus, in turn, receives organic substances - carbohydrates - from the higher plant.

Ectotrophic mycorrhiza is distinguished by the presence of an outer sheath of fungal hyphae on the root. From this sheath, free hyphae extend into the surrounding soil. The root does not have its own root hairs. This mycorrhiza is characteristic of woody plants and is rarely found in herbaceous plants.

The transition between these types of mycorrhizae is ectoendotrophic mycorrhiza, which is more common than purely ectotrophic. Fungal hyphae with such mycorrhiza densely entwine the root from the outside and at the same time give abundant branches that penetrate into the root. This mycorrhiza is found in most tree species. In this mycorrhiza, the fungus receives carbon nutrition from the root, since it itself, being a heterotroph, cannot synthesize organic substances from inorganic ones. Its outer free hyphae diverge widely in the soil from the root, replacing the latter with root hairs. These free hyphae obtain water, mineral salts, and soluble organic substances (mainly nitrogenous) from the soil. Some of these substances enter the root, and some are used by the fungus itself to build mycelium and fruiting bodies.

Most tree species form mycorrhiza with the mycelium of cap mushrooms - macromycetes from the class of basidiomycetes, a group of orders called hymenomycetes. The soil in the forest, especially near the roots of trees, is permeated with mycorrhizal fungi, and numerous fruiting bodies of these fungi appear on the soil surface. These are pink boletus (Leccinum scabrum), red boletus (Leccinum aurantiacum), camelina (Lactarius deliciosus), many types of russula (genus Russula) and many other cap mushrooms found only in the forest. There are significantly fewer mycorrhizal fungi in the group of orders Gasteromycetes. These are mainly species of the genus Scleroderma. The common puffball (see description of the common puffball) enters into a mycorrhizal symbiosis with broad-leaved species. Edible species of the genus Melanogaster also form mycorrhizae mainly with the roots of deciduous trees. Their semi-underground fruiting bodies develop on the soil under a layer of leaf litter or shallowly in the soil, usually in deciduous forests. Melanogaster dubious (M. ambiguus) is especially common in oak and hornbeam forests from May to October. Its black-brown fruit bodies, 1-3 cm in diameter, smell like garlic and have a pleasant spicy taste. A closely related species, Melanogaster broomeianus (M. broomeianus), also found in deciduous forests, has larger (up to 8 cm in diameter) brown fruiting bodies with a pleasant fruity aroma. The class of marsupial fungi (ascomycetes) also contains a small number of mycorrhizal fungi. These are mainly species with underground fruiting bodies belonging to the order Truffles (Tuberales). Black, or true, truffle (Tuber melanosporum) grows in forests along with oak, beech, hornbeam on calcareous gravelly soil, mainly in the south of France; it is not found on Russian territory. White truffle (Choiromyces meandriformis), common in Russia, grows in deciduous forests with birch, poplar, elm, linden, willow, rowan, and hawthorn. For mycorrhizal fungi, such symbiosis is mandatory. Even if their mycelium can develop without the participation of tree roots, fruiting bodies are usually not formed in this case. This is associated with the failure of attempts to artificially breed the most valuable edible forest mushrooms, such as the porcini mushroom (Boletus edulis). It forms mycorrhiza with many tree species: birch, oak, hornbeam, beech, pine, spruce.

Some types of fungi form mycorrhiza with only one certain breed. Thus, the larch butterfly (Suillus grevillei) forms mycorrhiza only with larch. For trees, symbiosis with fungi is also important: experiments in forest belts and forest plantations have shown that without mycorrhiza, trees develop worse, are stunted in growth, are weakened, and are more susceptible to diseases.

The role of mycorrhiza in plant life

The existence of mycorrhizae, fungi that live on the roots of plants, has been known for quite some time. This phenomenon - a community, or symbiosis of fungi and higher plants - was discovered by scientists in the mid-19th century. However, for a long time this remained simply a known fact and nothing more. Research in recent decades has shown the enormous role it plays in plant life. The first discoveries were made using a microscope, when fungal threads were discovered entwining the roots of plants. The microscope made it possible to see another type of mycorrhiza, which lives inside the root, penetrating and growing inside the root cells. The first type was called ectomycorrhiza, that is, external mycorrhiza. It has been found on the roots of almost all woody plants. The hyphae of the fungus entwine the root, forming a continuous sheath. From this cover, thin threads stretch in all directions, penetrating the soil for tens of meters around the tree. The mushrooms that we collect in the forest are ectomycorrhizal fruiting bodies in which spores are formed. They can be likened to the underwater part of an iceberg. Anyone who wants to grow edible mushrooms on their plot must first acquire the appropriate tree, then the corresponding mycorrhiza must form on it, and only then, perhaps, fruiting bodies will grow on it. The second type of mycorrhiza is endomycorrhiza, that is, internal mycorrhiza is characteristic mainly of herbaceous plants, including most cultivated plants. It is of much more ancient origin. Both types of mycorrhiza can often be found on one plant.

When scientists found a method to identify the DNA of mycorrhizal fungi, they were amazed by their ubiquity. Firstly, it turned out that about 90% of all plant species have mycorrhizae on their roots. Secondly, it was found that mycorrhizae have existed for as long as they have existed land plants. Endomycorrhizal DNA has been found in the fossil remains of the first land plants, which are about 400 million years old. These first plants were apparently similar to lichens, representing a symbiosis of algae and fungus. The algae, through photosynthesis, creates organic substances to feed the fungus, and the fungus plays the role of a root, extracting mineral elements from the substrate on which the lichen has settled. The fungus accompanied the plant throughout its terrestrial life. Even when the plants had roots, the fungus did not leave them, helping to extract nutrients from the soil. Currently, only a few plant species have gained independence and managed to do without mycorrhiza. These are a number of species from the families Chenopodiaceae, cabbage and amaranthaceae. Actually, it is not entirely clear why this independence is needed, since mycorrhiza increases the absorptive capacity of the roots many times over.

The hyphae of the fungus are more than an order of magnitude thinner than the root hairs and therefore are able to penetrate into the finest pores of soil minerals, which are even present in each individual grain of sand. In one cubic centimeter of soil surrounding the roots, the total length of mycorrhizal threads ranges from 20 to 40 meters. Fungal threads gradually destroy soil minerals, extracting from them mineral plant nutrition elements that are not in the soil solution, including such an important element as phosphorus. Mycorrhiza plays a very significant role in supplying plants with phosphorus, as well as a number of microelements, such as zinc and cobalt. It is clear that the plant does not skimp and pays well for this service, giving mycorrhiza 20 to 30% of the carbon it absorbs in the form of soluble organic compounds.

Further research brought even more unexpected and surprising discoveries regarding the role of mycorrhiza in the plant world. It turned out that the threads of fungi, intertwined underground, can communicate one plant with another through the transfer and exchange of organic and mineral compounds. The concept of plant communities has been illuminated in a completely new light. These are not just plants growing nearby, but a single organism, connected into a single whole by an underground network of numerous thin threads. A kind of mutual aid was discovered, where stronger plants feed weaker ones. Plants with very small seeds especially need this. The microscopic seedling would not have been able to survive if the general nutritional network had not initially taken it into its care. The exchange between plants has been proven by experiments with radioactive isotopes.

Scientists have discovered several species of plants, including orchids, which throughout their lives receive nutrition almost exclusively from mycorrhiza, although they have a photosynthetic apparatus and could synthesize organic substances themselves.

Mycorrhiza helps plants tolerate stress, drought, and lack of nutrition. Scientists believe that without mycorrhizae, majestic tropical forests, forests of oaks, eucalyptus, and redwoods could not withstand the climatic stresses that are inevitable in nature.

However, in a plant community, just as in a human community, conflicts are inevitable. Mycorrhiza has a certain selectivity, and if a certain type of mycorrhiza has spread in a plant community, this does not mean that it will be equally favorable to all types of plants. It is assumed that the species composition of plant communities largely depends on the properties of mycorrhiza. For some species that do not correspond to her, she can simply survive without providing them with food. Plants of this unwanted species gradually weaken and die. For a very long time, mycorrhizal fungi could not be grown under artificial conditions. But since the 1980s these difficulties have been overcome. Firms have emerged that produce some types of mycorrhiza for sale. Ectomycorrhiza is produced for use in forest nurseries and it has been found that its introduction into the root zone significantly improves the growth of seedlings.

Do gardeners need mycorrhizal preparations? Indeed, under natural conditions, mycorrhiza is found in all soils. Its spores are so small and light that they are carried by the wind to any distance. IN healthy garden Where chemicals are not abused, mycorrhiza is always present in the soil. However, it has been established that high doses of mineral fertilizers and pesticides, especially fungicides, suppress the development of mycorrhiza. It is not found in soils deprived of fertility as a result of inept farming, as a result of construction, or in soils deprived of humus for one reason or another. The experience of gardeners in the USA, where there are several commercial companies producing mycorrhiza for gardeners, says that in extreme conditions, adding mycorrhizal preparations to the soil has a very good effect. Gardeners who have received land deprived of fertility for use or are located in areas with an unfavorable climate have learned from their own experience that inoculation with mycorrhiza gives them the opportunity to have a flowering garden even in these unfavorable conditions. Usually the mycorrhiza preparation is in the form of a powder containing spores. It is used to treat seeds or roots of seedlings. Endomycorrhiza preparations are used for ornamental and vegetable plants, and ectomycorrhiza preparations are used for trees and shrubs. However, to get a good effect from mycorrhiza, you need to do important condition– switch to an organic gardening method. This means using organic fertilizers, not digging up the soil (only loosening), mulching, and refusing to use high doses mineral fertilizers and fungicides.

The role of mycorrhiza in plant life.

The symbiosis of plants and fungi has existed for 400 million years and contributes to the great diversity of life forms on Earth. In 1845 it was discovered by German scientists. Mycorrhizal endofunges penetrate directly into the root of the plant and form a “mycelium” (mycelium), which helps the roots strengthen the immune system, fight pathogens of various diseases, and absorb water, phosphorus and nutrients from the soil. With the help of the fungus, the plant uses soil resources to their full potential. One root could not cope with such a task; Without the support of fungi, plants have to direct additional reserves to increase the root system, instead of increasing the above-ground part. Mycorrhiza improves soil quality, aeration, porosity, and the volume of the total absorbent surface of the plant root increases a thousand times! Due to active human intervention in natural processes: the use of heavy equipment, the introduction of chemical fertilizers, construction work, laying pipelines, asphalt and concrete, air and water pollution, dam construction, soil cultivation, soil erosion, etc. - plants began to be exposed to unprecedented stress, their immunity weakened and led to death.

The German company Mykoplant AG - a leading global manufacturer - sells the endofunge Mykoplant ® BT - an innovative product, an environmentally friendly natural product, an organic plant growth regulator, approved by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Federal Republic of Germany. Mikoplant AG is the only company in the world that produces granular mycorrhizal preparations. Mykoplant ® BT is the spores of the endomycorrhizal fungus (Glomus family), enclosed in 3-5 mm of clay (carrier). It took decades of painstaking research to determine the improving qualities of mycorrhizal fungi. The granulated form of the drug is protected by an international patent. The drug is grown in greenhouses.

Mykoplant ® BT promotes the formation of mycorrhiza in 90% of plants and trees.

Does not have phytopathogens and pathogenic microorganisms.

Not an ounce of chemicals.

No negative impact on people, animals or the environment.

Non-toxic, does not accumulate in plants.

Positive effects of mycorrhiza:

Saves water up to 50%

Stores nutrients for plants

Increases growth and improves plant quality

Increases resistance to drought, lack of drainage

Increases resistance to salts and heavy metals

Improves appearance, taste and aroma

Improves stress resistance and overall plant immunity

Improves disease tolerance

Reduces infection in roots and foliage

Accelerates the establishment of plants in a new place

Increases productivity, growth of green mass

Accelerates root development and flowering by 3-4 weeks

Works well in salty or waste-contaminated soil

Use once with perennial plants

What does a mushroom do? 1. Stores additional water (saving up to 50% depending on region) and nutrients for the plant. 2. Dissolves and supplies the plant with unavailable mineral nutrients, such as phosphates. 3. Protects the plant against underground pests (for example, nematodes).

What does the plant do? Supplies the fungus with carbohydrates (glucose)

To facilitate penetration into the root, the product must have direct contact with it. Used especially effectively in spring, early stages plant development, but is successfully used at any stage of plant development. The activity of mycorrhiza is determined by the number of spores per cm3 of the product (in the USA only 10 spores per cm3 are produced and the price of one liter of the product in the USA is $120). Is the number of spores in a product important? Yes, the number of spores is important, since it determines the efficiency of colony formation and the level of bioactivity.

Mycorrhizal fungi are already in the soil. Why then inoculate crops with the drug? Although mycorrhizal fungi can theoretically be found in the soil, not all types are best suited for your crop. The mycoplant consists of many Glomus families, so successful colonization can be considered almost guaranteed. In which countries is the drug already used? Germany, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Greece, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Egypt, Holland.

What is the unit of measurement for the drug? It is customary to measure in liters, which is equal to approx. 0.33 kg

Who else in the world produces mycorrhizal preparations in granular form? Nobody; Mikoplant AG is the only company in the world that has succeeded in this.

How many years has the company been in existence? The company was registered in 2000.

Is there an ISO certificate for the drug? Currently no, because the quality of the drug is checked by the ISO-certified German Institute for Innovation Technology ITA.

Are all aspects of the influence of mycorrhiza on a plant known? There is still a long way to go. Scientists continue to study the unique natural mechanism of interaction between the drug and the plant, and we can only guess about all the positive aspects of the symbiosis.

Unlike chemicals, the drug cannot be overdosed. Without loosening the soil, when adding the drug to the soil for perennial plants It is applied only once, then the mushroom reproduces underground on its own. The technology for using the drug is carried out with the participation of German specialists. Before applying the granulate, the soil is analyzed and the crops to be planted are calculated. In each case, a suitable substrate and host plant are required; It is important to conduct a variety of experiments during the cultivation period in different climatic zones. Burnt clay is used as a spore carrier.

Advantages of granulate:

1. Long shelf life

2. Light weight (350 kg/m3)

3. Convenient transportation

4. Convenient to use

5. Can be selectively disinfected

6. You can change the number of spores depending on the colonies

7. You can easily dose the drug

8. Can be applied using technical means

Methods of application:

1. Apply the granulate closer to the root into a hole in the pot or directly into the soil.

2. Mechanized application into previously plowed soil.

3. Mixing granulate with grain/seeds before sowing.

Application technology:

The use of the drug does not require special equipment. It is important to ensure contact between the fungus and the roots. Drill holes in the tops of an imaginary five-pointed star at a distance of 1-1.5 meters from the tree trunk (diameter = 5-10 cm, depth 30-50 cm), add 100-200g of granules to each hole, cover with soil, water. Results appear after 5-6 weeks. 1 liter of the drug corresponds to 300-330 grams of product.

One-time use depends on the volume of the root:

1. Seedlings 10 - 25 ml/plant

2. Young bushes 25 - 100 ml/bush

3. Young trees 100 - 250 ml/tree

Mushrooms - amazing plants, feeding differently from the rest of the plant world and using other methods of reproduction. Fungi have a wide spectrum of action - from provoking diseases to fighting them (like penicillin). Some mushrooms can be a wonderful find for a mushroom picker, while others, at first glance, are completely invisible to humans.

Habitat

It is generally accepted that mushrooms, like a sponge, absorb everything negative impacts environment. That is why it is important to collect them for food from ecologically clean areas or use grown artificially. But not all mushrooms grow on the ground. Often in nature you can find such a phenomenon as mushroom inhabitants of trees. And if the ordinary oyster mushroom is a tasty product, then many other tree companions are unsuitable for food and have a different purpose.

Read more about what mycorrhiza is

There are different types of mushrooms that live on trees. They have their own names and distinctive features. IN varying degrees have an impact on the representatives of the upper class, who have chosen their place of residence. Plant mycorrhiza is not a type of fungi and not the fungi themselves. It's more of a process.

Effect of symbiosis on plants

Mutual benefit

They, in turn, provide the plant that is their home with useful substances. It happens like this: the roots, dotted with mycelium, become more loose, as a result of which they are able to absorb more moisture, as well as other nutrients, including nitrogen, mineral salts, enzymes and vitamins.

Types of mushroom roots

Depending on the conditions of symbiosis, types of mycorrhiza are distinguished:

• Ectotrophic or external. It is characterized by entwining the surface bark of plants.
• Endotrophic (internal). It is the penetration of fungal mycelium into the internal tissues of the roots.
• Phycomycete type. Characterized by complete penetration of rhizomes by fungi.
• In the euectotrophic type, symbiosis can cause the death of rhizome hairs.
• The ectoendotrophic type indicates the introduction of the fungus into the cortex cells themselves.
• The ericoid type involves the subsequent digestion by the plant of the balls formed by the fungus.

Each type is characteristic of certain types of plants. Trees and shrubs are susceptible predominantly to one variant of mycorrhiza. But they can also be carriers of several types of fungi at the same time.

Since all mushrooms adapt to life differently, they all have their own type of existence. Their habitat is determined by the need to eat. That is why you will never see a single mushroom on bare soil without vegetation.

Not all mycorrhizal fungi grow on tree roots, although they can often be found under trees.

Mycorrhiza forms many of the fungi we are familiar with. These are everyone’s favorite and delicious ones - porcini mushrooms, chanterelles, boletuses, boletus mushrooms, honey mushrooms and others. Poisonous mushrooms are also mycorrhizal and feed plants.

Almost all coniferous trees are mycorrhizal plants. Mycorrhiza of the root is also inherent in birch, which at the same time enters into an alliance with boletus. Similar coexistence can be observed between pine and buttercup, aspen and boletus, beech and chanterelles, hornbeam and porcini mushroom. The fly agaric prefers birch and spruce. Podubovik can grow both under trees and, like oyster mushrooms, on their trunks. Entoloma garden can be found not only under fruit trees such as plum, apricot, but also under forest shrubs rosehip and hawthorn. Birch trees and conifers are preferred for most mushrooms. Therefore, near these trees you can find various inhabitants of the named family.

Mycorrhizal fungi cannot exist without the roots of trees, shrubs or herbaceous plants. When the mycelium acts on the roots of higher plants, a transformation of the rhizome occurs, but such deformations are completely harmless to the plant. This symbiosis has existed for thousands of years, as evidenced by fossilized rocks of ancient plants. Based on these findings, it becomes obvious that this is another one of nature's perfect plans. And everything is calculated in such a way that the coexistence of fungi and plants only benefits both representatives.

Artificially created mycorrhiza

Forest mushrooms fully provide nutrition for wild vegetation. By helping higher plants to feed, becoming more actively saturated with organic substances from the soil, mushrooms bring them invaluable benefits. And therefore, remembering that such mycorrhiza has an effect on all plant representatives, people themselves sometimes try to provide plants with such a symbiosis. After all, on garden plots Plants do not have the ability to interact with fungi.

In addition, there are some plants and even flowers whose nutrition comes precisely from mycorrhiza, and therefore their existence is impossible without the necessary fungi.

If you want to help your plants, you can add a useful roommate to them for symbiosis. In this case, mycelium or fungal spores are used. It is not always possible to provide plants with the necessary nutrition. But the use of mycorrhiza can become good option to supply your favorite plants with all the necessary substances.

Kira Stoletova

Everything on our planet is interconnected. A striking example of this is the concept of fungal 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 an additional quality - the ability to extract nutrients from different types soil As a result, when a tree is unable to obtain the necessary components from the environment, the mycorrhizal fungus comes to the rescue, providing itself and its owner with an additional portion for life and development. Which will prevent both representatives from drying out.

Varieties

The following fungi form mycorrhizae with roots:

1. Myccorisa ectotrophyca – spreads only in the upper layers;
2. Myccorisa endotrophyca - the mycelium develops in the thickness of the root, sometimes piercing the body almost right through;
3. 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;
4. 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 the listed species 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.