Grzyby glebowe i ich znaczenie

Fungi in soil perform important services related to nutrient cycling, water dynamics and disease suppression. Along with bacteria, they are important as decomposers in the soil food network. Fungi convert hard−to−digest organic material into forms that other organisms can use. They can immobilize or retain nutrients in the soil. Secondary fungal metabolites have the fungistatic properties and are used in biocontrol processes. The hyphae physically binds soil particles together, creating stable aggregates that help increase water infiltration and soil water retention capacity. Fungi help to increase the accumulation of humic−acid rich organic matter that is resistant to degradation and may stay in the soil for hundreds of year.