Mycorrhizal Fungi run the largest Mining operation in the World

I reprinted much of this illuminating article and adding much of my own experience and comment. Feldspar is a very common particle in most all soil and it contains a form of phosphorus not available to most all plants. This is why mycorrhizal fungi is so very important and why industrial synthetic inputs are useless and wasteful. When both the Universities of Wisconsin and Maine did several potato farming studies using Mycorrhizal Applications Inc's MycoApply in a field study next to conventional farming method for potato production which recommends 130 lbs per acre of phosphorus, the researchers used only 30 lbs per acre with mycorrhizae potato. The yields were much higher in the mycorrhizal grown fields and the huge savings regarding inputs was also realized. Does anyone know what the absorption rate is on any crops utilizing synthetic inputs ? As an example of the 130 lbs per acre of phosphorus used, only 20% gets used by the plant. Mycorrhizae will not connect when soils are rich in synthetic inputs. In the conventional methods of farming it's mostly a numbers game. Root absorption area is greatly reduced on the crop plants and the excessive quantity required only ensures that a necessary amount is guaranteed to suck in somewhere and feed the plants. The other 80% of inputs is simply wasted and makes it's way to aquatic environments polluting streams, creeks rivers lakes etc. This is what creates those life chocking algal blooms in waterways and ruining life for other creatures. The Agro-chemical companies and biotechs all know this, but still realize that to change their business model means the end of billions of dollars a year in profits.

That's why research such as what mycorrhizal fungi really do is important for farmers to understand how actually changing their practices saves them massive amounts of money and they do not need to industrial Ag giants. Soils without Biology are simply geology.

Mycorrhizal Fungi run the largest Mining operation in the World

-

With out the right biology going on in the ground, not even that 20% would get the form that crop plants can use.
True soil is like a jelly fish, a myrad of individual organisms working in a harmonious way for the benefit of the whole.
Soil with micro organisms is good, soil with micro organisms (bacteria) and mycorrhizal fungi is great soil.

Soil with out both, micro organisms and mycorrhizal fungi is DIRT.
It is the complex interactions of all the micro organisms (bacteria) and the mycorrhizal fungi (attached to and so part of the living roots of plants) that work in harmony, each one eating what it needs and changing the rest into what the next organism needs, which eats what it needs and changes the rest to what the next organism needs, and on down the line, until all living things are able to get the nutrients needed for good growth and health. This is what makes the circle of life able to complete itself. When you dig up and turn over the soil, many of the bacteria die, this leaves a void which will not be filled until those bacteria are once again present. Since the break down of nutrients and the modification of nutrients begins with the bacteria, kill them and you now have created DIRT, incapable of sustaining the circle of life.

Modern Agriculture was a lie when it came into being, it is still a lie and will always be a lie. Perpetuated for the sole purpose of creating a false need and to feed greed of companies.

Great article. You've got to think that lichens had to be valuable for something. Now I know. Great coverage of the interaction of synthetic and mycelium generated fertilizers too.
John S
PDX OR

Bryant RedHawk wrote:With out the right biology going on in the ground, not even that 20% would get the form that crop plants can use.
True soil is like a jelly fish, a myrad of individual organisms working in a harmonious way for the benefit of the whole.
Soil with micro organisms is good, soil with micro organisms (bacteria) and mycorrhizal fungi is great soil.

Soil with out both, micro organisms and mycorrhizal fungi is DIRT.
It is the complex interactions of all the micro organisms (bacteria) and the mycorrhizal fungi (attached to and so part of the living roots of plants) that work in harmony, each one eating what it needs and changing the rest into what the next organism needs, which eats what it needs and changes the rest to what the next organism needs, and on down the line, until all living things are able to get the nutrients needed for good growth and health. This is what makes the circle of life able to complete itself. When you dig up and turn over the soil, many of the bacteria die, this leaves a void which will not be filled until those bacteria are once again present. Since the break down of nutrients and the modification of nutrients begins with the bacteria, kill them and you now have created DIRT, incapable of sustaining the circle of life.

Modern Agriculture was a lie when it came into being, it is still a lie and will always be a lie. Perpetuated for the sole purpose of creating a false need and to feed greed of companies.

Yeah no kidding Bryant, I was actually being generous when I said 20%. Actually they would be lucky if the got that. What people need to think about is where the other 80+% is going.

John Saltveit wrote:Great article. You've got to think that lichens had to be valuable for something. Now I know. Great coverage of the interaction of synthetic and mycelium generated fertilizers too.
John S
PDX OR

Thanks John, I did a couple of articles on the subject of the surface biological soil crusts which most people pass over and don't even realize what they are. In fact last year I traveled back to the States and found a new mycorrhizal truffle collecting area. California is deteriorating fast and my old sites haven't produced truffles in over a decade. This place is near Julian California and if a person wasn't aware of what to look for, these dried truffles would just look like rocks:

What Happens to Earth's Mycorrhizal Community when their Hosts fail above ground ??

Excellent article Kevin!
keep up the good work kola.

Another great article! One of the things that it reminds me of is when people here say, "I only care about chanterelles!" Well, the whole forest/ ecosystem doesn't run on chanterelles, even if those are the only ones you eat.

We don't even know yet what we're missing. Every year, cutting edge scientists find out more stuff that they didn't know that we are missing from nature. I do think some groups have known more than modern Americans, mostly indigenous and ancient cultures. We need to help people figure out how this whole nature thing works. We stand to benefit in many ways, not just lower rates of cancer, diabetes, auto-immune disease, autism, stress, depression, cardiovascular disease, etc.
John S
PDX OR

Rather than open up a newer post and thread, this post from yesterday belongs here sine it is related to the subject of soils and the organisms who reside in them. It's a bit long, has many illustrations, but focuses squarely on one organism and how cleverly intricate the entire complex of soil biota really is when it comes to maintaining plant health in every single ecosystem on Earth. Hope everyone appreciates the illustrations because I guarantee you many who work for the Biotechs and Agro-Chemical companies don't, nor do they care.

How Many Beneficial Functions & Services can be found in just one Fungi Species ?


How Many Beneficial Functions and Services can be found in just one Fungi Species

Another great article! THe details on the interaction between trichoderma and other beings is both interesting and helpful to understanding the dynamic between the little that we do know and the vast amount of what we don't know but are rapidly destroying.
John S
PDX OR

Great and informative article. Is there a way to add these to soil and are there different varieties in different states? In other words, if you lived in a cold climate vs. a hot climate, would you use a different source to add them to your soil. Thank you!

Luetta Robinson wrote:Great and informative article. Is there a way to add these to soil and are there different varieties in different states? In other words, if you lived in a cold climate vs. a hot climate, would you use a different source to add them to your soil. Thank you!

Wow, so you live in a Boreal Forest environment like me here in Sweden. Mostly, adding these to soils are necessary where human activities like conventional industrial agriculture and most urban landscapes have been beaten down with loads of chemical recommendations advised by the agro-chemical companies and where heavy tillage has been practiced and land has been allowed to remain exposed, uncovered with bare soils and allowed to lay fallow for long periods of time. As to species, this depends on what plants grow best in your area. For example, an endo-mycorrhizae like Glomus deserticolia (which is a great fungi) probably won't perform as well in Sweden or Alaska. When I first became interested in mycorrhizal fungi back in the late 1970s, my main draw was with ecto-mycorrhizae which colonizes mostly shrubs and trees. In particular was a fungi whose truffles look much like a dog's turd when it immerges from the ground is called Pisolithus tinctorius.



I always found this one after rains, especially with Thunderstorms [actually writing an article as I type on this very phenomena] which would always be associated with hardwoods like Oaks and Pines. I had vaguely in the beginning knew that such associations were important, but back then there wasn't a lot of info on these things available to the permies. Certainly no commercial products of inoculum could be found anywhere and it wasn't till the advent of internet in the 1990s did I even locate an actual name for the fungi. There are various forms of this Pisolithus variety, but one would have to research and find out which variety of any fungi are good for your area. As far as a vegetable garden, if your vegetables are mycorrhizal [many are not] they will always be endo mycorhizzae, not Ecto. Look for Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) in whatever inoculent is being advertised. Find a well known reputable producer like Mycorrhizal Applications Inc from Grant Pass Oregon. Many vegetable garden selections are probably limited in your area like me. In most cases up there in Alaska you probably won't need to innoculate much, but climate is changing and things are dying off above ground. That has a domino effect for what also may be going on below the ground.

Very interesting article, thanks for sharing. I'd like to share some videos on a similar subject here.

The first being a 25 minute Dr. Paul Stamets speech. It has a lot to do with the kind of things you are speaking about here.



The second being a vast store of course work from Dr. Elaine Ingham. These help me to put the details of the fungal world into perspective as an integral part of the whole system of soil microbial life.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEF3AC2CFE07692A4

Skip LaCroix wrote:Very interesting article, thanks for sharing. I'd like to share some videos on a similar subject here.

The first being a 25 minute Dr. Paul Stamets speech. It has a lot to do with the kind of things you are speaking about here.

The second being a vast store of course work from Dr. Elaine Ingham. These help me to put the details of the fungal world into perspective as an integral part of the whole system of soil microbial life.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEF3AC2CFE07692A4

I have always found the Paul Stamets things interesting , but he seems obsessed with acquiring Patents for ideas he never seems to do anything with. I still find some posts he has on his Facebook account page interesting, but I tened to take everything with a grain of salt anymore because thus far it is still just mostly talk.

Great video. Yes, he's not perfect, but who is a better representative to help us understand the world of mycology?
John S
PDX OR

John Saltveit wrote:Great video. Yes, he's not perfect, but who is a better representative to help us understand the world of mycology?
John S
PDX OR

I guess I'm looking for more practical application, something I and everyone else can use as opposed just an interesting public talk on stage. Much like Joel Salatin or Gabe Brown who actually not only talk about what may work, but what does work and then proceed to show you what they have actually done.

I have found Paul Stamets' work to be the single greatest practical influence for me in cultivating mushrooms. Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms is a highly useful book. So is Mycelium Running, the book that really got me into practical involvement with mushrooms.

Tradd Cotter's book, "Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation", is also an outstanding work.

Now I get more practical advice from members of my local mushroom organization.
John S
PDX OR

Kevin Franck wrote:

I have always found the Paul Stamets things interesting , but he seems obsessed with acquiring Patents for ideas he never seems to do anything with. I still find some posts he has on his Facebook account page interesting, but I tened to take everything with a grain of salt anymore because thus far it is still just mostly talk.

In my limited experience he has done a lot with many of the things that he speaks about. Mostly in the realm of scientific research projects and gathering highly advanced data sets. Such things take a long time to work their way into the public forum and are extremely difficult for the average person to understand, as I have found just trying to tell people that I know about it. There seems to remain a large bit of mushroom discrimination and even flat out hatred amongst the general population.

Also, I don't feel he is the best at advertising or even interested in it much. He has managed to get legitimate patents and Government approval to go forward with some his most advanced breakthroughs. My best guess is that several of these patents would require vast investment capital to become a publicly available product. Also the general nature of some of the patents are rather crushing to the current regulatory and economic situation. He does sell many of the products of his labor on his website ( http://www.fungi.com ) , but I don't personally know enough about fungi to purchase them, nor do I have the capital.