Antagonistic activity of xylotrophic mushrooms against pathogenic fungi of cereals in dual culture

Abstract

The antagonistic activity of 17 species of xylotrophic Basidiomycotina (Coriolus versicolor, Flammulina
velutipes, Ganoderma lucidum, Hypholoma fasciculare, H. sublateritium, Kühneromyces mutabilis, Lentinula edodes,
Lentinus tigrinus, Pholiota alnicola, Ph. aurivella, Ph. destruens, Pleurotus ostreatus, P. cornucopiae, Polyporus
squamosus, P. subarcularius, P. varius and Schizophyllum commune) against 4 fungi (Bipolaris sorokiniana, Fusarium
culmorum, Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici and Rhizoctonia cerealis), responsible for foot and root diseases of
winter cereals, were tested in dual-culture experiments on potato-dextrose agar. Almost all tested mushroom species
markedly inhibited mycelial growth of the four phytopathogenic fungi, antagonistic activity of P. ostreatus, H.
fasciculare, G. lucidum, L. tigrinus and S. commune being particularly strong. Inhibiting activity mainly comprised
two reactions: deadlock, consisting in mutual inhibition at a distance or at mycelial contact, and replacement, consisting
in initial deadlock followed by partial or complete overgrowth.