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SEPG 2330 - Date Awarded 2004
The influence of microenvironmental factors in the productivity of wild edible fungi.
Miriam de Roman, Steve Woodward and Eric Boa
Abstract
Eight permanent plots were established in 2004 in Sitka spruce, birch and Scots pine stands in northern Scotland. The aim of the field study was to estimate the productivity of wild edible fungi (WEF) and relate their occurrence and abundance to key environmental factors, such as rainfall and temperature above and below ground. Three productivity variables were studied: number of individuals, fresh weight, and dry weight. Birch stands were especially productive (187.49 Kg fresh weight/ha between July and November 2004), whereas Sitka spruce plantations were the least appropriate for the occurrence of WEF (26.47 Kg fresh weight/ha). The most valuable and generally appreciated WEF found was Boletus edulis, but other species with a demand in other countries were also recorded (Leccinum spp., Suillus spp., Tricholoma terreum). The productivity variable that yielded the best correlations with the climatological variables was the dry weight. The minimum of the minimum temperatures both above and below ground were the climatological variables that showed the strongest correlations with the productivity variables: the higher the minimum of the minimum temperatures, the greater the WEF productivity. To be exact, a rise in the minimum temperatures led to the fruiting of WEF two weeks after. On the contrary, rainfall did not seem to play a decisive role in WEF fruiting. These results prove that Scottish forests have a great potential due to their high WEF productivity, and that knowing how environmental factors influence WEF fruiting can optimize their collection and trade.
Full report: SEPG2330
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