An initial study of woody-debris decomposition to reduce risk of repeated-fire incidence in tropical peatland ecosystem

As peatland ecosystems were formed from layered partially decomposed plant biomass, they were considered more vulnerable to fire, especially during extreme drought season. Woody debris accumulation in the field may increase the risk of peatland fire. In order to minimize the chance of repeated fire, an initial study on woody debris decomposition by employing a consortium of wood-decay microbes (consists of Scedosporium apiospermum, Pycnoporus sp., Pycnoporus sanguineus, and unidentified cellulolytic bacterial isolate) was conducted. Series of experiments of in vitro-, semi-controlled-, and field- conditions were carried out. After 12-weeks of incubation, the in vitro trial showed that all treatments on mineral-soil basal media were colonized by fungal mycelia, including the control. Meanwhile, the treatments on peat soil seem less supportive for fungal growth since only six out of ten treatments have been colonized by fungal mycelia. In semi-controlled conditions, effects of microbial inoculation showed questionable results as the trials were randomly occupied by Schizophylum commune, which was not included in the microbial inoculants. Un-clear effects of the microbial inoculants were also observed on the field trial as no significant difference of dry-weight loss between the inoculated woody logs and the un-inoculated control. Further comprehensive studies to reduce woody debris in peatland areas are required.

Habitat characteristics and utilization of edible wild mushrooms by local communities in the protected forest in Pinrang Regency, Indonesia

This study aims to determine the habitat characteristics and utilization of edible wild mushrooms by local communities in protected forest areas in Pinrang Regency, Indonesia. The study was conducted using observation, survey, interview, and questionnaire methods. The characteristics of the wild mushroom habitat are climate type B, with average rainfall is 2,780.2 mm/year, a temperature of 24-32°C, and relative humidity of 59-82%. In general, a wild mushroom grows on dead wood, especially candlenut (Aleurites moluccana) and mango (Mangifera indica), soil, and litter. There were 18 types of wild mushrooms found in the protected forest areas in Pinrang Regency, namely Termitomyces clypeate, Pleurotus ostreatus, Pycnoporus sanguineus, Tyromyces chioneus, Trametes hirsute, Schizophyllum commune, Lepiota clypeolaria, Lepiota brunneoincarnata, Auricularia auricular, Psavinea, squarrosulus, Leucocoprinus sp., Coprinellus micaceus, Ganoderma lucidum, Oudemansiella mucida. There were 5 types which include edible wild mushrooms that can be consumed by the community as a source of food and medicine, namely Termitomyces clypeatus, Pleurotus ostreatus, Schizophyllum commune, Auricularia auricular, and Pluteus cervinus, and 13 species include non-edible wild mushrooms and some of them are known as poisonous mushrooms.

Oil in Water Nanoemulsions Loaded with Tebuconazole for Populus Wood Protection against White- and Brown-Rot Fungi

Eugenol in water nanoemulsions loaded with tebuconazole appear as a very promising alternative formulations for wood protection against xylophagous fungi that are the main species responsible for different rots in wood structures. The dispersions as prepared and upon dilution (impregnation mixtures) were characterized by the apparent hydrodynamic diameter distribution of the oil droplets loaded with tebuconazole and their long-term stability. The impregnation mixtures were applied on wood of Populus canadensis I-214 clone by using a pressure-vacuum system, and the effectiveness against fungal degradation by Gloeophyllum sepiarium and Pycnoporus sanguineus fungi was determined. The retention of tebuconazole in wood was about 40% of the amount contained in the impregnation mixtures. The results showed that the impregnation process leads to a long-term antifungal protection to the wood, with the mass loss after 16 weeks being reduced more than 10 times in relation to the control (untreated poplar wood) and the reference wood (untreated beech wood).

Do the different species of fungi impact on mycocomposites compression behaviour?

Mycelium-based composites result from the growth of filamentous fungi on organic materials such as agricultural waste streams, like sugarcane bagasse, sawdust, coffee husks, coconut mesocarp and cotton. The morphology, density, tensile, flexural and compression strength of mycocomposites change according to the type of substrate, fungal species and processing technique. The objective of this study was to evaluate the mechanical behaviour in compression of different mycelium-based materials changing the fungal species. Substrates were formulated with wood sawdust and coconut endocarp, coffee grounds and wheat bran and incubated with isolates of the fungi Pycnoporus sanguineus, Ganoderma applanattum and Hexagonia hydnoides. Pre-myceliated sterile substrates were placed in cylindrical molds and incubated at 25°C for 7 days. After this period, the composites obtained were subjected to a temperature of 80 °C for 12 hours to stop fungi further development. Mechanical tests showed the relationship between the fungi and the compressive resistance (10% strain) of resulting composites, according to ASTM D1621. The analyzes indicated that the use of Pycnoporus sanguineus fungusprovides a composite with greater resistance to compression, which suggests the application of this mycocomposite in packaging, since the primary requirement of such use is to protect the content against damage.

Antifungal Activities of Methanol Extract from Syzygium chlorantha and Hopea spp. against Pycnoporus Sanguineus

Antifungal activities of 6 methanol extract obtain from bark, sapwood and heartwood of Syzygium chlorantha and Hopea spp. were evaluated against the white rot fungi Pycnoporus sanguineus using a medium in which homogenised hyphae were dispersed. It is observed that Hopea spp. has antifungal activity against Pycnoporus sanguineus compared to Syzygium chlorantha. Hopea spp. bark showed the highest antifungal activity against Pycnoporus sanguineus with reaction showed very clear inhibition zone. Meanwhile, Hopea spp. sapwood showed partially clear inhibition zone. On the other hand, there are no antifungal activities occurring at heartwood of Hopea spp. and all parts of Syzygium chlorantha. The positive control glycyrrhizic acid dipotassium salt (GADS) showed clear inhibition zone from 50 ?g to 1000 ?g. The results of the sapwood and bark of Hopea spp. suggest that these extract have great potential as a source of fungi stats.

FUNGA CULTURAL: MICOLOGIA FILATÉLICA DO BRASIL

Introdução: Fungos são seres vivos ubíquos, heterotróficos uni ou multicelulares, morfologicamente diversificados, importantes para o ecossistema, reciclagem da matéria orgânica e equilíbrio ecológico. Além dessas funções biológicas, os fungos, de uma maneira geral, fazem parte do imaginário coletivo sociocultural, sendo encontrados em diferentes estampas, desenhos infantis, jogos eletrônicos, filmes, desenhos animados, etc. Diversidade cultural define-se como diversidade biológica, cultural e linguística, incluindo inter-relações, dentro do complexo sistema adaptativo socioecológico. Este trabalho propõe o termo “Funga Cultural” como estudo da presença fúngica nas diferentes manifestações culturais. Como exemplo de manifestação cultural, este trabalho trata de relacionar fungos com filatelia. Objetivos: Realizar um inventário dos selos postais e comemorativos brasileiros que apresentam imagens de fungos, além de analisar suas representações na Funga Cultural e citar a classificação taxonômica das espécies estampadas nos selos. Material e Métodos: Pesquisa utilizou o “Catálogo de Selos do Brasil RHM”, principal obra de referência filatélica do país, sendo utilizada pelos colecionadores e comerciantes de selos brasileiros. Foram analisados todos os selos postais comemorativos emitidos pela Empresa de Correios e Telégrafos do Brasil durante o período de 1900-2019. Resultados: Desde o ano de 1900 até 2019, o Brasil emitiu 3.877 selos comemorativos. Desses, apenas dez (0,26%) têm estampas de fungos, distribuídos em três diferentes séries: três selos da série “Fungos”; um selo da série “Estação Ecológica do Taim-RS”; e seis selos da série “Diversidade de Fungos”. Os nomes científicos das espécies estão estampados nos selos. Exceto um selo da série Estação Ecológica. Porém, de acordo com suas características fenotípicas, provavelmente pertence ao filo Basidiomycota. Essa série é formada por uma dupla de selos e o fungo aparece somente no primeiro deles. Os táxons estampados nos outros selos foram: Pycnoporus sanguineus; Calvatia sp.; Pleurotus sp.; Clathrus chrysomycelinus; Clathrus columnatus; Geastrum violaceum; Hydnopolyporus fimbriatus; Laetiporus gilbertsonii e Oudemansiella cubensis. Conclusão: Os fungos apresentam pouca representatividade nos selos comemorativos brasileiros. Os selos fazem parte da cultura humana e aqueles com estampas de fungos podem ser inseridos como representantes da Funga Cultural. Ademais, pode-se usar o selo como mais um recurso didático no ensino da funga e na divulgação científica.

Natural microbial polysaccharides as effective factors for modification of the catalytic properties of fungal cellobiose dehydrogenase

Polysaccharides are biopolymers composed of simple sugars like glucose, galactose, mannose, fructose, etc. The major natural sources for the production of polysaccharides include plants and microorganisms. In the present work, four bacterial and two fungal polysaccharides (PS or EPS) were used for the modification and preservation of Pycnoporus sanguineus cellobiose dehydrogenase (CDH) activity. It was found that the presence of polysaccharide preparations clearly enhanced the stability of cellobiose dehydrogenase compared to the control value (4 °C). The highest stabilization effect was observed for CDH modified with Rh110EPS. Changes in the optimum pH in the samples of CDH incubated with the chosen polysaccharide modifiers were evidenced as well. The most significant effect was observed for Rh24EPS and Cu139PS (pH 3.5). Cyclic voltammetry used for the analysis of electrochemical parameters of modified CDH showed the highest peak values after 30 days of incubation with polysaccharides at 4 °C. In summary, natural polysaccharides seem to be an effective biotechnological tool for the modification of CDH activity to increase the possibilities of its practical applications in many fields of industry.