A new record of Astraeus hygrometricus (Pers.) Morgan (Boletales, Basidiomycota) from Afghanistan

Abstract

The mycorrhizal fungus, Astraeus hygrometricus, which was found thriving beneath Quercus baloot and Cedrus deodara trees is being documented in Afghanistan for the first time. Despite previous reports confirming the presence of this fungus in other parts of Asia, Europe and America, there is no prior documentation of its presence in Afghanistan. This report includes a protologue of the specimens collected from Afghanistan, showcasing both macro- and micro-morphological characteristics. Additionally, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images are provided for a detailed view of the basidiospores.

Optimizing conditions of mycelial inoculum immobilized in Ca-alginate beads: a case study in ectomycorrhizal fungus Astraeus odoratus

“…Astraeus is a member of the Diplocystidiaceae family (Boletales, Agaricomycetes, Basidiomycota) and mainly occurs in sandy soils in forests across Asia, Africa, North and South America and Europe (Cunningham 1944; Nouhra and Toledo 1998; Phosri et al 2004;Fangfuk et al 2010;Pavithra et al 2015; Ahmadzai et al 2023). The Astraeus species are ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi and can establish symbiotic relationships with a broad range of forest tree species, including the trees in dipterocarp forests (Wilson et al 2012;Phosri et al 2013; Karun and Sridhar 2014; Pavithra et al 2015).…”

“…Tender basidiomata of Astraeus spp. are widely recognized as a highly prized edible mushroom in several parts of Asia (Mortimer et al 2012), and are harvested in the wild and marketed in many countries such as India, Japan, Laos, and Thailand (Sanmee et al 2003;Phosri et al 2004Phosri et al , 2007Dell et al 2005; Butkrachang et al 2007; Karun and Sridhar 2014; Ahmadzai et al 2023). In Thailand, A. odoratus is found in dry dipterocarp forests, particularly in the northern and northeastern regions (Phosri et al 2004(Phosri et al , 2007.…”