Fungi, particularly Pleurotus eryngii, emerges as a promising solution for sustainable non-animal protein production, requiring less land and growing on waste materials. In connection with population growth, sustainable solutions must be found to increase yield and product quality without resorting to the use of synthetic chemical fertilizers. Several biobased products are currently on the market; one of the most interesting is wood distillate (WD), derived from the pyrolysis process of the woody material. WD is rich in biologically active substances such as polyphenols, alcohols, acids, and esters, and its use is authorized in organic agriculture. The study investigates the use of WD in cultivating P. eryngii. We tested different concentrations of WD: 0%, 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.5%, and 1% WD on the growth of P. eryngii. Although WD did not significantly affect the yield (fresh weight), it led to a substantial increase in total soluble protein content and antioxidant compounds, such as phenols and vitamin C, and a reduction in glycogen content, especially at 0.2% WD. The results highlight the potential of biostimulants in mushroom cultivation, providing the ground for further research to improve the nutritional properties of cultivated mushrooms through wood distillate.

We examined the concordance between vascular plants and macrofungi (grouped into trophic groups) in Mediterranean forest habitats (central Italy). Our goal was to test how consistently plant and fungi groups classify plots in a broadleaf deciduous forest dominated by Quercus cerris. Our hypothesis was that groups of plants can be used as surrogates for the classification of macrofungal communities. The test of concordance comprised two steps: 1) the plant species data sets were subjected to cluster analysis, to obtain three classifications based on presence of all plants, presence and frequency of only woody species; 2) Multiple Response Permutation Procedures (MRPP) was used to test the performance of each plant classification applied to the fungi data sets. The sample scores along the first PCA axis was used to investigate the relationships between compositional patterns. In the concordance analysis, the classification of only woody plants provided better results than the classification obtained with herbaceous and woody plants together. Cross-tests gave the best results when the “woody plants” classification was applied to ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) and, to a certain extent, to humicolous saprotrophs (Sh). The ordination analysis indicated that the frequency of woody plants follows a similar spatial distribution to EMF and Sh fungal groups and is therefore expected to discriminate the same environmental gradients. Many EMF exhibit preferences for few (one or two) hosts. Significant associations were found among a greater number of EMF and woody plant species. Woody plants such as Sorbus domestica and Prunus spinosa appear to be associated with many EMF. The combination of a high frequency of Fraxinus oxycarpa and Quercus petraea seems to promote distinct assemblages of EMF and Sh fungi. Then, characteristic assemblages of fungi were found in association with certain tree and shrub combinations.

Deadwood is involved in several important ecological roles, being the fundamental habitat of wood-decay fungi. At the same time, this polyphyletic group of fungi is the principal agent of wood decomposition, regulating the carbon cycle and the food resource for many other organisms. It is known that the diversity and community composition of wood-decay fungi are related to the tree species, decay stage and size of the woody debris in which they are living. Nevertheless, there is a lack of information on Mediterranean Quercus cerris L. forests. In response, we explored how wood-decay fungi colonize different woody types and how the productivity, richness and community composition of these fungi is influenced by the decay stage and size of the deadwood. Our results indicate that the studied groups, i.e., Ascomycetes, Corticioids, Polyporoids and Heterobasidiomycetes responded differently to the woody debris classes. Moreover, we note the high importance of smaller and soft-decayed woody debris for community composition and richness, hosting a great number of species, in addition to the positive effect of the heterogeneity of the woody debris size for wood-decay fungi productivity.