A simple and quick model to study uptake and transfer of radionuclides and heavy metals from mycelium to the fruitbody of saprophytic edible fungi

A simple model of Pleurotus eryngii mushroom culture, grown under stringent laboratory conditions, was developed to watch ecophysiological pathways of xenobiotics in saprophytic fungi. The investigated substances may be added in different stages of biological cycle of the fungus. It is emphasized that to obtain the fruitbodies, all the physiological needs of the species have to be fulfilled, i.e.: nutritional requirements, optimal temperature (according to the biological cycle), humidity, aeration (oxygen and CO2), absence or presence of the light in each reproduction phase, as well as the control of infections and plagues through all the production stages. The described model serves for investigation of radionuclide and heavy metal uptake and transfer in fungi. Double or some multiple fructification from the same substrate is possible giving a possibility to investigate bioremediation by mycoextraction.