Investigating and assessing root decay

[Fungus]

1. What do these melanine plaques represent ?

2. When I identified the fruiting bodies on the less decayed side I was confident they were P. squarrosa by remnants of scales and after dissecting the stalk ... perhaps they are both present

3. No, I have not seen any evidence of Ganoderma. Why do you ask?

 

1. The melanine plaques shield off and protect the hyphae of the Armillaria mycelium against acids and parasites while decomposing (white rot) dead wood.

2. You should have looked at the colour of the spores, Armillaria = white, Pholiota = brown.

3. Because only Ganoderma species cause white rot with selective delignification.

[Treecreeper1961]

2. Right, so how exactly do you examine spores. I have read 'spore print' time and again without really understanding. The gill colour represent spore colour or do you need to get them sporulating?

2. Only going by what I have read but doesn't P. squarrosa create selective delignification in early stages? Obviously the lower decay is far from early stage but as it rises up the stem perhaps?

[Fungus]

1. how exactly do you examine spores. I have read 'spore print' time and again without really understanding. The gill colour represent spore colour or do you need to get them sporulating?

2. Only going by what I have read but doesn't P. squarrosa create selective delignification in early stages? Obviously the lower decay is far from early stage but as it rises up the stem perhaps?

 

1. In situ, one looks at the colour of the spores on top of caps that are underneath other caps with sporulating gills or on the top side of the ring.

2. Source ? Pholiota species are simultaneous white rotters.

[Treecreeper1961]

Fungi On Trees the AA field guide.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Fungi On Trees the AA field guide.

 

 

I will check that cos in lonsdales it says "white rot with brittle like characteristics sometimes" which hints at a soft rot mode (often a means to by pass defence)

[Fungus]

Fungi On Trees the AA field guide.

 

Page 52 : "with some evidence of a stringy white-rot (selective delignification in the early stages)" : I would like to see valid (microscopical) in situ (P. squarrosa is biotrophic parasitic) evidence of this with relevant reference literature other than given on page 5.

[David Humphries]

Page 52 : "with some evidence of a stringy white-rot (selective delignification in the early stages)" : I would like to see valid (microscopical) in situ (P. squarrosa is biotrophic parasitic) evidence of this with relevant reference literature other than given on page 5.

 

 

Gerrit,

 

the guide is exactly that 'a guide'.

 

I don't think the originators intended it to be an indepth reference book.

 

I would suggest to any one concerned that further reading of the given references & 'others' (widely available, but not listed) would be where that data may be obtained & extracted.

 

The guide is a tool for practicing Arbs out in the field.

 

 

 

 

.

[Fungus]

I don't think the originators intended it to be an indepth reference book. I would suggest to any one concerned that further reading of the given references & 'others' (widely available, but not listed) would be where that data may be obtained & extracted. The guide is a tool for practicing Arbs out in the field.

 

Sure, but IMO, the information given should not include such speculative information as "... with some evidence of ...", which has no relevance to the daily practice of Arbs what so ever and only creates confusion.

Besides, it should have been better to give information on the colour of the spores of Armillaria and Pholiota (and other Agaricales), so that possible mix ups as stated above (Fungus : "You should have looked at the colour of the spores, Armillaria = white, Pholiota = brown"), would have been avoided.

I still wonder why the authors did not react to my offer to write a review so that some improvements could have been implemented before the second edition was published.

[David Humphries]

Sure, but IMO, the information given should not include such speculative information as "... with some evidence of ...", which has no relevance to the daily practice of Arbs what so ever and only creates confusion.

Besides, it should have been better to give information on the colour of the spores of Armillaria and Pholiota (and other Agaricales), so that possible mix ups as stated above (Fungus : "You should have looked at the colour of the spores, Armillaria = white, Pholiota = brown"), would have been avoided.

I still wonder why the authors did not react to my offer to write a review so that some improvements could have been implemented before the second edition was published.

 

Agreed, spore colour is one area that should be expanded on within the guide

 

as far as I'm aware the second edition has not been published yet Gerrit.

 

 

 

 

.

[Fungus]

as far as I'm aware the second edition has not been published yet

 

Neither have the authors contacted me after I offered my "services" twice.