In the Lensli Academy we regularly inform you about practical situations that we encounter in the sector, we talk about insights gained in practice, we give you cultivation tips and we share our knowledge about other interesting substrate-related matters.
Academy – Saprotrophic fungi
Do you ever come across fungi or mushrooms in the substrate and do you want to know what you can do about it? Then read on here!
You've probably come across them; white and/or yellow mushrooms or mycelium in the root ball of your crop. You will also undoubtedly be familiar with fungal damage caused by, for example, phytium or phytophthora.
fungi; they are everywhere. We cannot do without them, but production crops sometimes suffer from them. The pathogenic fungi (plant pathogen) and the non-pathogenic fungi (saprophyte) are always present to a greater or lesser extent at the nursery and therefore also in the substrate.
Due to increasing pressure from the market to work with sustainable, circular raw materials in the substrate, in combination with the decreasing use of broad-spectrum fungicides, we are increasingly seeing saprotrophic fungi in the field. These fungi are not directly harmful to the crop, but can be visually unattractive and even affect the extent to which the substrate absorbs water. This can therefore indirectly cause problems in production.
Substrate raw materials that are of young, organic origin such as coconut, wood fiber, compost, bark, rice hulls contain a lot of cellulose, lignin and sugars. These components break down easily due to the naturally occurring microbiological activity. This is the reason why young, organic raw materials are more susceptible to saprotrophic fungi than, for example, peat or mineral raw materials such as clay, perlite and pumice stone.
Whether these fungi actually manifest themselves depends on a combination of factors, in a perfect ratio for fungi. If, among other things, moisture, the height of the temperature and the biological balance are present in the right balance, these factors can stimulate the development of fungi. There are several additives available that can reduce the risk of mold and that you can incorporate into the substrate.
The LTO has made an overview of the most common saprotrophic fungi in substrate cultivation. We would like to bring this to your attention because it contains very clear advice and points for attention on how to deal with this.
Visit https://edepot.wur.nl/384090.
Do you encounter saprotrophic fungi in cultivation, and would you like to know more about this?
Or would you like to know what the experiences are with sustainable, organic raw materials?
Please contact your own Lensli Account Manager or our Technical Product Manager Substrates, Nick Vollmer, on telephone number (+31) 06- 51269415 or by email: n.vollmer@lensli.com.
Our team of dedicated, enthusiastic specialists is happy to help!