Not all mushrooms are bad, no matter how many you see them Last of us we picked up a little mania. In fact, there are those who can solve such important problems as food shortage.
According to a study just published in PNAS, edible mushrooms grown in forested areas may be good source of protein, fiber and fatty acids. In addition, they act synergistically with the trees themselves, contributing to nutrient exchangeand help capture carbon from the atmosphere.
Thus, it would be possible to avoid deforestation, and therefore leave room for production. new crop fields or areas for livestock. Existing trees will be used or more can be planted. This would be a good solution in the face of food shortages, which have arisen for reasons such as an increase in world population or changing of the climate.
Mushrooms to avoid food shortages
There are many edible mushrooms that can be used to prevent food shortages. However, in the study just published, they mostly cite milk indigoblue edible mushroom that usually lives mainly in Central America and East Asia and North America. In these places, it can usually be found in the forests, where it usually forms mycorrhiza with oaks and pines.
That is, a symbiotic relationship is created in which both the fungus and the trees benefit from nutrient exchange. They would have all the advantages, but if we want them to solve the problem of food shortages, the methods of growing these mushrooms must be improved.
The main thing is to plant young trees.
This study concluded that the best way to cultivate these mushrooms is graft trees while they are still young. It must be remembered that, unlike other fungi that rot wood, they benefit the trees. Thus, vaccination does not cause any harm to them. Vice versa.
Thus, it is possible to make a kind mushroom farm in the forest. The authors of a recently published study believe that due to their nutritional value, these mushrooms could perfectly replace beef, pork and poultry. Less water will be used and the land will be optimized to avoid cutting down trees for crop fields or new farms.
In addition, not only will carbon be sequestered, but emissions of other gases will be reducedsuch as containing nitrogen, which may be present in some fertilizer. Mushrooms capable of forming mycorrhiza with trees do not need additional fertilization, so they are not needed.
It remains only to have time to produce enough mushrooms and convince the population of the importance of eating them. There are already those that are considered a delicacy; but from there we are ready for it replace them with meatmaybe for some more time. Fortunately, this is not the only tool that is being offered to address deforestation and food shortages.
For example, meat grown in a laboratory is already a reality, which, perhaps in the future, will be able to save us from many troubles. Just like insects. There are many options. Now they all seem too futuristic, but in the end we will get at least some of them.
Source: Hiper Textual
