PMID: 15381850Sep 24, 2004Paper

Can mushrooms fix atmospheric nitrogen?

Journal of Biosciences
H S Jayasinghearachchi, Gamini Seneviratne

Abstract

It is generally reported that fungi like Pleurotus spp. can fix nitrogen (N2). The way they do it is still not clear. The present study hypothesized that only associations of fungi and diazotrophs can fix N2. This was tested in vitro. Pleurotus ostreatus was inoculated with a bradyrhizobial strain nodulating soybean and P. ostreatus with no inoculation was maintained as a control. At maximum mycelial colonization by the bradyrhizobial strain and biofilm formation, the cultures were subjected to acetylene reduction assay (ARA). Another set of the cultures was evaluated for growth and nitrogen accumulation. Nitrogenase activity was present in the biofilm, but not when the fungus or the bradyrhizobial strain was alone. A significant reduction in mycelial dry weight and a significant increase in nitrogen concentration were observed in the inoculated cultures compared to the controls. The mycelial weight reduction could be attributed to C transfer from the fungus to the bradyrhizobial strain, because of high C cost of biological N2 fixation. This needs further investigations using 14C isotopic tracers. It is clear from the present study that mushrooms alone cannot fix atmospheric N2. But when they are in association with diazotrophs...Continue Reading

References

Aug 31, 1999·Carbohydrate Research·N P Price
Sep 22, 2001·Journal of Microbiological Methods·G JacksonZ Lewandowski
Nov 9, 2002·Science·Ian JointMiguel Cámara
Feb 15, 2003·FEMS Microbiology Letters·Yong Sup ChoBong Gum Cho
Apr 25, 2003·Journal of Biosciences·Gamini Seneviratne, H S Jayasinghearachchi
Jun 6, 2003·Applied and Environmental Microbiology·Quok-Cheong ChooNazalan Najimudin

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Citations

Feb 16, 2007·Journal of Biosciences·Gamini Seneviratne, I K Indrasena
Sep 7, 2007·The New Phytologist·P Frey-KlettM Tarkka
Jul 31, 2013·Applied and Environmental Microbiology·Lorena PesciaroliAlessandro D'Annibale
Nov 26, 2009·FEMS Microbiology Letters·Luciana V Rinaudi, Walter Giordano

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