There ’ s both myth and magic about mycology that plant pathologist Dr . Barry Pryor finds fascinating . “ One of the most dramatic impacts of fungi on plants comes from a specific group , a particular phylum that has its own trajectory in the tree of life ,” says Pryor . “ Some of the first records of fungi associated with plants come from fossilized endomycorrhizal fungi whose spores have been found in fossil records dating back 500 million years .” That symbiotic relationship between fungi and plants with root systems benefits both organisms . “ Fungi interact with plants at almost all stages of growth — from seed germination to plant maturity to plant disease to a decay of dead plants that recycle nutrients available for the next generation of plants .” Pryor ’ s interest in plants has led him down the path of spore science and he ’ s become somewhat of a mushroom guru . As a university professor , one of his more popular courses is Mushrooms , Molds , and Man . “ All mushrooms are fungi , but not all fungi produce mushrooms ,” he clarifies . “ Probably 90 per cent of fungi don ’ t produce mushrooms that are the fruiting bodies of some species — much like the apple is the fruiting body of a tree .” From a consumer standpoint , according to the American Mushroom Institute , recent annual US mushroom sales posted a $ 1.2-billion value based on the consumer purchase of nearly 950 million pounds of the tasty morsels . Mushrooms represent one of the fastest growing specialty crops worldwide , a growth driven by increased demand for locally grown product as part of a healthy diet , says Pryor , the driving force behind the fledgling Arizona Mushroom Growers Association . The American Mushroom Council estimates consumption at four pounds of product per person , per year . “ Historically , since 1850 , mushroom production has been concentrated in Pennsylvania , specifically Chester County , as producers of durable field mushrooms like the white button , crimini , and portabello grown in open beds ,” says Pryor . “ These mushrooms travel well and have a shelf life of three weeks or so , unlike specialty mushrooms like oysters , shiitakes , lion ’ s mane , and others that begin to degenerate within a week . So , there ’ s a demand for local production of specialty mushrooms grown in controlled environments .” That ’ s where his association , in concert with researchers at the University of Arizona Controlled Environment Agriculture Center and the U of A MycoCats come into play . “ There ’ s no incongruency growing mushrooms in the desert ; all you have to do is control the environment . If Pennsylvania can grow mushrooms in the winter , we can grow them in the summer and year-round .” Currently , the MycoCat organization is conducting industry research . It is seeking to find innovative methods of completing the cycle of sustainability by studying ways to grow fungi in substrate made of a variety of recycled agricultural and post-consumer waste products . While straw or wheat is a traditional substrate for mushroom spores , mesquite bean pods and cotton seed have proven to be a successful growing medium , as have used , greasy , ground-up pizza boxes that provide an additional food source for the mushrooms .
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Fungi interact with plants at almost all stages of growth — from seed germination to plant maturity to plant disease to a decay of dead plants that recycle nutrients available for the next generation of plants .”
“ We take things that would normally go into a waste stream landfill — like food waste , landscape debris , old textiles — and extract value-added product . Mushroom-forming fungi breaks them down into a substrate that we use to extract an edible product from , then let the substrate continue on its trajectory through the recycling stream . It ’ s amazing what fungi can do ,” says Pryor . feature 43