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Fungi

09/21/2018 / By Edsel Cook

Fungal strains found naturally in the soil, including a relative of penicillin, could be an alternative to herbicides

Penicillium molds have been used to ripen cheese and produce the life-saving antibiotic penicillin. Now, a member of the large and common genus of fungi could serve as a natural alternative to synthetic herbicides. The discovery was made by Nigerian researchers from the University of Ilorin, who were looking for local microbes that could reduce the need for chemical weed-killers that polluted the environment […]

09/13/2018 / By Ralph Flores

Natural fertilizers are better than chemical ones at preventing crop disease

A study led by researchers in Paraguay suggests that treating sesame seeds with natural biocontrol agents can significantly increase their resistance against infections caused by plant pathogens. Their findings, published in the Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, identified the non-pathogenic fungi Trichoderma and Azospirillum brasilense as potential agents to protect the seeds against infections from Macrophomina phaseolina, […]

08/27/2018 / By RJ Jhonson

Conservationists looking at fungi to restore native plant populations

More than five million species of fungi have been identified so far, but only about 300 are known to make people sick. Fungi – both the “good” and the “bad” ones – play a vital role in the ecosystem, something that conservationists from Washington State University Tri-Cities (WSU Tri-Cities) are demonstrating through their research. Tanya […]

08/26/2018 / By RJ Jhonson

The hidden world of soil pathogens: Harmful microbes not only have to contend with a farmer’s chemical attacks but their microscopic neighbors as well

Many microscopic species of fungi and bacteria in the soil infect and damage plants. This makes them the enemy of farmers who use chemical pesticides to prevent or – at least – minimize damage to crops. In a study published in the journal mBio, researchers report that for these microscopic pathogens, an angry farmer isn’t […]

08/22/2018 / By Rhonda Johansson

Say hello to my little friend: Trees have developed a symbiotic relationship with fungi to survive drought stress

New analysis of the symbiotic relationship between trees and fungi decodes how the pair withstands drought. These conclusions give scientists a better understanding of how the mutual association can be used to develop more plant feedstocks for bioenergy in case of drought. By investigating how specific adaptations of common fungi are created in relation to […]

08/20/2018 / By Janine Acero

Can wood be a sustainable, cost-effective, environmentally-friendly biofuel? Researchers found fungal enzymes break it down

Researchers from the University of York discovered that enzymes found in fungi are capable of breaking down a certain main component of wood, as reported in a study published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology. In ecosystems, fungi play a significant role in breaking down wood within the carbon cycle, releasing nutrients back into the soil. […]

07/07/2018 / By Zoey Sky

When plants break up: Understanding cooperative relationships between soil microbes

Who knew even plants could “break up?” According to a study, even though plants can cooperate, there are also times when these cooperative relationships break down. Gijsbert Werner, Postdoctoral Fellow, and Stuart West, Professor of Evolutionary Biology, both in the Department of Zoology at the University of Oxford, explained that plants have various “below-ground interactions with […]

05/31/2018 / By Edsel Cook

Mushroom-based products could soon replace leather, cloth, and even bricks

A San Francisco Bay startup is using fungi-based materials as possible substitutes for leather, cotton, wood, and bricks. In a Waking Times article, the company showed that they could turn mushrooms into a sustainable source of eco-friendly biomaterials for many common products. In 2016, MycoWorks developed a way to turn fungi into a leather-like material […]

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