Considering the worldwide popularity of cultivated Pleurotus mushrooms as food, analyses of their chemical composition are required to ensure product safety. The aim of this study was to compare the content of 62 elements in fruit bodies of six cultivated species of the genus Pleurotus (five strains of Pleurotus ostreatus, Pleurotus eryngii, Pleurotus djamor, Pleurotus citrinopileatus, Pleurotus florida, and Pleurotus pulmonarius), collected from their producers between 2009 and 2015. Only 31 elements (Al, As, B, Ca, Cd, Cr, Cu, Er, Fe, In, K, Lu, Mg, Mn, Na, Nd, P, Pb, Pt, Re, Rh, Sc, Se, Sr, Te, Th, Ti, Tm, U, Zn, and Zr) were detectable in the tested Pleurotus species in each year of their collection. The obtained results revealed three significantly diverse groups with similar abilities to accumulate 31 elements within 7 years of mushroom production. The species and strains were grouped as follows: P. florida and P. pulmonarius (first group); P. ostreatus HK35, P. ostreatus 930, P. eryngii, and P. djamor (second group); and P. ostreatus 80, P. ostreatus H195, P. ostreatus K22, and P. citrinopileatus (third group). In spite of differences between the tested Pleurotus species and strains, presented in the form of graphical Heatmaps, the intake of these mushrooms was not related with any health risk for consumers.

The aim of this work was to compare 10 mostly edible aboveground and 10 wood-growing mushroom species collected near a heavily trafficked road (approximately 28,000 vehicles per 24 h) in Poland with regard to their capacity to accumulate 26 trace elements (Ag, Al, As, Au, B, Ba, Bi, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ga, Ge, In, Li, Mn, Ni, Pb, Re, Sb, Se, Sr, Te, Tl, and Zn) in their fruit bodies in order to illustrate mushroom diversity in element accumulation. All analyses were performed using an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) spectrometer in synchronous dual view mode. The aboveground species had significantly higher levels of 12 elements, including Ag, As, Pb, and Se, compared to the wood-growing species. An opposite relationship was observed only for Au, Ba, and Sr. The results of principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) implied some new relationships among the analyzed species and elements. Of the analyzed mushroom species, lead content in Macrolepiota procera would seem to pose a health risk; however, at present knowledge regarding lead bioaccessibility from mushrooms is quite limited.

The soil tillage system and the distribution of stubble catch crops increase the content of organic carbon, thus increasing the biochemical activity of soil. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of leguminous cover crops and different tillage soil systems before spring wheat sowing on the count of soil microorganisms, biochemical activity, microbiological diversity and the physiological state of the plants in correlation with yield. The study compared and analysed the following systems: (1) conventional tillage (CT) to a depth of 22 cm, followed by spring wheat sowing using four simplified cultivation technologies called conservation tillage. The following simplified tillage systems were evaluated: (2) skimming before sowing the cover crop and spring wheat sowing after ploughing tillage (CT), (3) skimming before sowing of the cover crop (sowing wheat with no-till technology (NT)), (4) direct sowing of ground cover plants (NT) and spring wheat sowing after ploughing cultivation (CT) and (5) direct sowing of cover crop (NT) and sowing wheat directly into cover crop (NT). The results showed that applying the cover crop and soil tillage method before sowing wheat improved all tested parameters. The highest values of the analysed parameters were observed in the treatment with soil skimming before sowing of the cover plant, and then with sowing the wheat directly into the mulch. The activity of dehydrogenase was 90% higher, while the activity of phosphatase was 32% higher, in comparison to the control group. Both the activity of catalase and the biological index of fertility were 200% higher, in comparison to the control group. Metagenomic analysis showed that soil bacterial communities collected during treatment ‘zero’ and after different cultivations differed in the structure and percentage of individual taxa at the phylum level.