Wild and cultivated mushrooms as a model of sustainable development

Abstract

The natural resources are currently overexploited and since 1992 the Conference of Rio de Janeiro has focused on sustainable development to safeguard our planet for future generations. The Fungi kingdom includes producers of goods and services for ecosystems and organisms widely used in the food industry. Besides, macrofungi are recognized as non-timber forest products and could be utilized as agents of environmental management through weed biocontrol and environmental improvement. Moreover, the cultivation of fungi, in particular truffles, can provide an important income in agroecosystems, especially in marginal areas, along with the development of new technologies to produce novel products from fungi

Influence of Climate and Economic Variables on the Aggregated Supply of a Wild Edible Fungi (Lactarius deliciosus)

“…In different parts of the world, edible mycorrhizal fungi such as the saffron milk cap are being increasingly cultivated in suitable plantation forests [48]; however, the data in this study were not directly obtained from these kinds of forest systems. On the other hand, we reiterate that in this study the supply of wild edible mushrooms was addressed only in terms of the mushroom harvests that are sold in a central market; recreational mushroom picking was not considered in the supply function, despite the importance of this kind of activity in many rural communities [6].…”

“…In order to develop this task, the largest national market of edible mushrooms has been considered: the Barcelona Central Market (Mercabarna). It should be pointed out that the saffron milk cap is one of the most popular mushrooms in Spain with the commercial market at a mean of nearly 500 tons a year [6], and Mercabarna is the principal market for this product [34,35]. It is also essential to point out that this analysis is developed with aggregated data from this market, and not with data closer to direct forest harvesters.…”

Effects of cultivation years on effective constituent content ofFritillaria pallidifloraSchernk

“…Pharmacological research showed that the main effective ingredients in F. pallidiflora are imperialine and its glycosides, which have significant relaxation and anticholinergic activity in isolated rat trachea ) and bronchus (Rahman et al 1998). Previous research showed that the chemical constituents of wild plants change during artificial cultivation (Rü hl et al 2011;Donnini et al 2013;Selbmann et al 2013). Polysaccharides are one of the major bioactive substances of Chinese herbal medicine, equipped with various pharmacological activities such as immunoregulation, tumor sup pression, lowering of blood sugar and fat and defence against infection (Fang 1994;Gu et al 1999;Liu et al 2002;Kardosova et al 2006;Jung-Bum et al 2010).…”

Effects of wild boar grazing on the yield of summer truffle (Tuscany, Italy)

“…Consequently the management of natural and cultivated grounds of truffle can be seen as an important agriculture alternative, particularly in the Mediterranean region, and is in Italy in continuous expansion and evolution (Bencivenga et al 2005;Donnini et al 2013). The consumption of fresh and preserved truffles has increased significantly in recent years, while production in natural truffle grounds has decreased due to intense harvesting, the modification of ecosystems, the abandonment of the countryside (Bencivenga et al 2005).…”

“…The consumption of fresh and preserved truffles has increased significantly in recent years, while production in natural truffle grounds has decreased due to intense harvesting, the modification of ecosystems, the abandonment of the countryside (Bencivenga et al 2005). Various research have been undergone and projects are still in progress in order to describe sustainable action plans for safeguard and increment the fruiting of mycorrhizal fungi, with a particular emphasis on truffles (Donnini et al 2013). To underline that truffle growers, thanks to personal observations, locally just apply some managements.…”