Myco propagation info, sources, etc :-)

[gojo]

Hey all,

As I'm gonna try my hand at myco propagation I thought this would a good thread to start:


-Reference cultures of species (http://invam.caf.wvu.edu/cultures/refcult.htm)

-Sources of supplies (Please read this thread (https://www.cannabis-world.org/cw/showthread.php?t=4676) before working with spores)


-Source 1- Invam (http://invam.caf.wvu.edu/methods/supplies/supplies.htm)
-Source 2- Fungi Perfect (http://www.fungi.com/)
-Source 3- Mycorrhiza (http://www.mycorrhizae.com/)


-Culture methods (http://invam.caf.wvu.edu/methods/cultures/cultindex.htm)

-Methods to manipulate spores (http://invam.caf.wvu.edu/methods/spores/sporeindex.htm)

-Method to examine and measure mycorrhizae or component parts (http://invam.caf.wvu.edu/methods/mycorrhizae/mycorrindex.htm)

-Methods to store culture inocula (http://invam.caf.wvu.edu/methods/storage/storageindex.htm)



ANd for good measure this thread of C-ray's with excellent info, and an email about cannabis/myco from Steve Driver! :up:
A simple method for making your own mycorrhizal inoculum (https://www.cannabis-world.org/cw/showthread.php?t=821)
Pssst: C-ray, Cannarchist, et al moderator/admin...what do you think about moving this thread ^^^ to the "Fungi Fun" sub-fourm? It would just be nice to have all the myco related stuff in this sub-forum for ease of use by members...thanks!

[gojo]

Build your own on-farm inoculum production system
http://www.newfarm.org/depts/NFfield_trials/0903/daviddouds.shtml
The third phase of Douds' research at Rodale Farm focuses on developing an inexpensive, practicable system for on-farm production of mycorrhizae inoculative. As obligate symbionts, endomycorrhizae have so far resisted attempts to create what scientists call axenic (or isolated, single-species) cultures--they can only be grown in the presence of a host plant. Douds' system works within this constraint, using bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum), a tropical grass native to the southeastern US, as a host.

A myccorhizae factory: The basic procedure is for the farmer to construct a simple enclosure out of landscape fabric, fill it with a mixture of compost and vermiculite, and then transplant pre-colonized bahiagrass seedlings into the mixture. Over the course of the growing season the bahiagrass spreads within the enclosure and the mycorrhizal fungi spread and reproduce along with it. When the grass dies back in the winter, the farmer is left with a concentrated mycorrhizal inoculant that can be incorporated into his or her potting mix when starting seedlings in the greenhouse the following spring.

The basic procedure is for the farmer to construct a simple enclosure out of landscape fabric (75 cm square and 20 cm high), fill it with a mixture of compost and vermiculite, and then transplant pre-colonized bahiagrass seedlings into the mixture. Over the course of the growing season the bahiagrass spreads within the enclosure and the mycorrhizal fungi spread and reproduce along with it. When the grass dies back in the winter, the farmer is left with a concentrated mycorrhizal inoculant that can be incorporated into his or her potting mix when starting seedlings in the greenhouse the following spring.

This year, Douds gave inoculated bahiagrass seedlings and other materials to a few Pennsylvania farmers to see how the method fares in the real-life conditions of farming. Meanwhile, Douds has 12 soil enclosures growing at the Rodale Farm in an experimental grid designed to identify optimum growth media.

Douds chose three different kinds of compost--yard-clippings compost, controlled microbial compost, and dairy manure-leaf compost--and then diluted each kind with vermiculite at four different ratios, ranging from 1 part compost:2 parts vermiculite, down to 1 part compost:49 parts vermiculite. Each soil enclosure, finally, has nine separate sections, three with no inoculant and three each with two different mixtures of MF.

At the end of the season, says Douds, "we'll sample the mixtures from within each enclosure, quantify the inoculum production, and then hopefully develop a prediction formula, where the optimum ratio [of compost to vermiculite] is a function" of the nutrient analysis and other properties of the compost. All the farmer will need to do, then, is get the nutrient analysis of his or her compost, plug it in to the formula, and find the optimal ratio of compost to vermiculite to use for his or her farm.

"On-farm methods have several advantages over commercial inoculants," Douds explains. In the first place, whereas commercial formulae typically only contain a single MF species (frequently Glomus intraradices), Douds' method yields a diverse inoculum containing many MF species. This is crucial because MF show significant 'functional diversity'--"some are good at holding the soil together, some are good at gathering nutrients," others help fight disease.

A second, related advantage is that by mixing in some soil from a nearby woodland, prairie, or hedgerow, the farmer can use Douds's system "to produce the native or indigenous strains of mycorrhizal fungi. . . the ones that are already adapted to his [or her] particular soil conditions." This could be especially important on problem soils, such as those with high aluminum, say, or high or low pH, where commercially-produced fungi may not survive.

Growing fungi in real life: David Douds with one of his on-farm mycorrhizal fungi production systems at Shenk's Berry Farm in Lititz, PA. John Shenk, the cooperating farmer, grows 5 acres of strawberries, 3 acres of raspberries, and 10 acres of mixed vegetables in a low-input system, selling on-farm and at the Clark Park Farmers Market in Philadelphia. "We try to farm thoughtfully," says Shenk. "And do lots of reading and research to keep improving our farming methods." Next season, Shenk will incorporate the soil from the enclosure into his greenhouse potting mix.

Last but not least, home-grown mycorrhizal inoculum can be produced at a fraction of the cost of purchasing commercial mixes. "I've done some preliminary calculations," says Douds. "The on-farm system produces 100 million propagules [in a single enclosure] for approximately $50, not counting the cost of the farmer's labor, which is fairly minimal. To purchase 100 million propagules as listed on the bag of some commercial mixes would cost anywhere from $8,000 to $40,000." Commercial inoculants are sold in a peat- or vermiculite-based medium, so purchasers have to buy (and pay to have shipped) a large volume of material to get a small number of viable MF propagules--another reason it makes more sense to grow your own.

At the moment, Douds' system (like commercial MF inoculant) is suitable for two types of farms: vegetable growers on any scale who produce their own seedlings and can mix the inoculum into their potting mix; and smaller, labor-intensive farms or urban gardens where "the inoculum can be incorporated by hand, directly into the planting furrow or planting hole." Farmers growing field crops on a large scale can only take advantage of MF inoculants if they want to try them out in a relatively small area. "Delivery of MF inoculum to the field is a problem," acknowledges Douds. "Commercial companies are working on this for their particular inocula." He smiles. We can only hope that he will be too.

[gojo]

Update:

http://www.newfarm.org/depts/NFfield_trials/0404/mf_update.shtml
April 6, 2004: Results are in from the 2003 field tests of a low-tech system for cultivating mycorrhizal fungi (MF) to improve plant health and boost yields.

In preliminary trials at The Rodale Institute Experimental Farm, substantial differences were found in the response of MF populations to different soil environments. Test plots designed to demonstrate how farmers can produce their own MF inoculant—to use in a greenhouse mix, for instance—showed that two key MF species performed better when grown with a dairy manure-leaf compost or a yard clippings compost than when grown with a controlled microbial compost.


A mycorrhizae factory: To produce a MF inoculant, construct a simple enclosure out of landscape fabric, fill it with a mixture of compost and vermiculite, and then transplant pre-colonized bahiagrass seedlings into the mixture. When the grass dies back in the winter, the farmer is left with a concentrated mycorrhizal inoculant that can be incorporated into his or her potting mix when starting seedlings the following spring.

The different MF response may be attributable to the higher phosphorous levels in the controlled microbial compost, since MF populations are believed to be inhibited by high phosphorous conditions. The 2003 data will help researchers refine the MF inoculant production system so that it can be passed on to farmers.

The inoculant production research is part of a multi-year project led by Agricultural Research Service scientist Dr. David Douds. A soil microbiologist who has dedicated his career to the study of mycorrhizal fungi, Douds has been collaborating with Rodale Institute researchers since 1989, studying the effects of conventional and organic farming practices on MF populations and the effects of MF populations on crop yields.

Previous years' field studies found higher and more diverse MF levels in organically-farmed than in conventionally-farmed soils, in part because of the use of over-wintering cover crops in organic systems. Field experiments have also demonstrated dramatic yield increases when crops were inoculated with MF: up to a 34 percent yield gain in sweet peppers, and up to a 45 percent gain in potatoes.

The on-farm inoculant production system should enable farmers to realize similar yield increases with minimal costs. "These systems could become as common as a compost pile" for organic and sustainable farms, notes Rodale research technician Matt Ryan. Constructed out of landscape fabric, the yard-square planting enclosures are simple to build and require little maintenance other than watering.

This season, Douds and the Rodale researchers will repeat the experiment with a few adjustments based on the 2003 results. The yard clippings compost and the dairy manure-leaf compost—which produced the best results at higher concentrations—will be tested at compost:vermiculite mixtures of 1:1, 1:2, 1:4, and 1:9. The controlled microbial compost—which produced the best results at lower concentrations—will be tested at dilutions of 1:9, 1:19, 1:49, and 1:99.

In addition, Douds plans to evaluate the feasibility of using native soils, instead of host plants pre-inoculated with MF, in the production system. Reasoning that undisturbed soils from a given farm—say from a hedgerow or native prairie remnant—should contain the MF species best suited to the local conditions of that farm, the researchers will mix controlled amounts of native field soils into sterilized compost:vermiculite mixtures, and then plant non-inoculated host plants into the enclosures.

A final, more elementary possible refinement is the use of large bags—either of woven polyethylene or of burlap—for the propagation system, rather than having farmers construct the raised beds out of sheets of landscape fabric and wooden stakes. In addition to being simpler, using bags would enable farmers and growers to start the MF propagation beds in the greenhouse in early spring, and then move them outside when conditions permit. Last year's results indicate that inoculant enclosures started earlier in the season produced significantly more viable MF propagules.

[Microbeman]

Real good stuff Gojo; There we see more indication that certain levels of organic P does inhibit myc growth

[gojo]

Hey MM,

Yup. Finally! lol

You beat me to that point, I was going to update C-ray's thread...

Rodale Inst. has a new section called "New Farm Research" and it's run by microbiologist Dr. David Douds :farm:

USDA soil microbiologist David Douds with a carrot root-mycorrhizal fungi culture. Under the leadership of Dr. Douds, field trials have shown yield gains of as much as 50% in the presence of healthy mycorrhizae populations. Now Douds is developing a practical, low-cost method for on-farm production of mycorrhizal soil innoculant, promising higher yields with lower nutrient inputs. (Photo by Peggy Greb, courtesy of the Agricultural Research Service Photo Unit.)



http://www.newfarm.org/depts/NFfield_trials/0903/daviddouds.shtml
Cultivating diversity underground for better yields above
Research at The Rodale Institute® demonstrates how sustainable farming practices can boost yields by nurturing beneficial soil fungi.

About this series:

As some of you may know, The Rodale Institute®, which publishes The New Farm®, is home to the longest running field trials in the country comparing organic and conventional systems of farming called The Rodale Institute Farming Systems Trial® (FST). The data from that 23 years of research is a real treasure trove of insight into the economic, ecological and agronomic benefits of organic farming.

In addition to this long-running Farming Systems Trial, we have a variety of other research in progress at The Institute. David Douds, as you’ll read in this story, has been studying soil fungi here at The Institute’s research farm for 15 years. We’re engaged in no-till research, weed research, compost tea research, composting research, water quality research, and much more.

Until now, much of the light we’re generating here on our research farm has been hidden under the proverbial barrel, but we’re taking off the barrel and busting it up for firewood. We’re going let the light of the amazing research being done here shine on farmers, consumers and environmental activities.

Over the next year we’ll be running a series of stories, about one a month, on the significance of our research ... and its practical applications. That includes a few stories on equipment construction—a front-mounted roller for no-till, and a compost turner converted from a junked 18-wheeler.

So sit tight, and be prepared to be amazed, starting with David Douds’ discoveries about how you can increase vegetable yields by 50 percent using homemade fungal inoculants.

Enjoy,

Chris Hill
Executive Editor

p.s. Interested in hearing more about how you can take part in the mycorrhizae revolution? Click here and let us know. Send your name, phone number and e-mail address with your note so we can follow-up with you.


have a good one buddy!

[gojo]

A few more thoughts...

It should be really easy to set up Dr. Douds myco's proigation methods indoor under T5's. And as is mentioned, it could be done in a large conatiner or individual bags...I bet individual bags is better as you can test different media ratio's, diff hosts, diff myco's, etc, etc.

I am definitely going to cultivate myco's using Dr. Doud's method in a bag. I'll of course use cannabis as the host in some tests but the host should prolly live for 6-8 months so the myco's have time to fully infect the whole container while the roots grow...

hummm...this is great! It's gonna be easy as shit to cultivate our own myco's...screw buying freeze dried spores that only have a 30-40% infection rate and all kinds of shit the myco's don't need and missing things they do...

I'm just gonna use compost and axis for the mcyo meida (i use axis in my soilless mixes in place of vermiculite and perlite-[btw, axis ROCKS, more on that in another thread]). I wonder how bokashi picked-stage compost (PSC) would work? My bokashi PSC is always COVERED in thick, white, beard like mycillum (sp?)...I bet bokashi PSC would be something to look into. I wonder how many AM symbiotic helper bacteria are present in bokashi PSC?


...we are getting there...slowly...soon we may know for sure and then we can try to figure out what a "high organic P" means in terms of levels of P. If I remember right myco's can live (but not thrive, sporation may stall) to levels around +/-60ppm. By the time it hits +/-80ppm they myco's are not growing, I'm not sure what actually happens to them but I know it's not good.

The other question is what sources of organic matter hurt myco's? I think C-ray has it right, med-fast P releaser's may be the ones which hinder myo's, say 1-6 month release time frame [which matches the myoc's infection timetable] (ex. guano, manure, bone meal). The studies by Dr. Douds shows "controlled microbial compost" hindered myco's most likely do to the high levels of P.

I would like to know what is in Dr. Douds "controlled microbial compost" [aka "Luebke compost"] so we can see what else may hinder myoc's in terms of high P. This is a quick scroogle result for ingredients in :

Compost- The microbial way (http://www.localfoodworks.org/web/sa/saweb.nsf/d39dda83e1f3c019802570ad005b4516/68e4cbb7eada1a4880256f62004210ae!OpenDocument)
Farm yard manure (FYM), packhouse waste and old tomato plants are all suitable ingredients as is green waste from parks, and woodland maintenance waste....this basically means manure, kitchen/garden compost, leafs, yard scraps, etc, etc,


Here's a few good links:

Compost- The microbial way (http://www.localfoodworks.org/web/sa/saweb.nsf/d39dda83e1f3c019802570ad005b4516/68e4cbb7eada1a4880256f62004210ae!OpenDocument) (good info on controlled microbail compost [CMC])

Controlled Microbial Composting and Humus Management: Luebke Compost (http://www.localfoodworks.org/web/sa/saweb.nsf/d39dda83e1f3c019802570ad005b4516/68e4cbb7eada1a4880256f62004210ae!OpenDocument)

I also attached a PDF to this post titled: "Microbial Inoculants for Controlled Composting of Organic Materials"


THoughts?

[gojo]

and more...
BTW et al, I really have a hard time keeping up with my thoughts sometimes, they race and I forget to post points I want to make...sorry for the multi posts today. I need to stop smoking hash for a few days...

Anyway...
I bet worm castings would be a great ingredient to help promote not only myco's but glomalin production, esp if the worms are feed oat flour[1] and alfalfa meal[2]...on that note, I include alfalfa meal in my bokashi bins, I could easily add oat flour to my bokashi bins too.

I feed my worms the bokashi PSC[3] and biozome, thats all they get (and they love it!)...so if I just included oat flour in my bokashi PSC and used the resulting EWC as my compost source when growing myco's it may really be helpfull. I could see ratios of bokashi PSC to EWC for the compost part of the myco media...

For those who can not include the myco incoluant media in their substrate they may have success by making a quick ACT or (just use plain water) with the infected myco media; say 4-5 hour brew to break free spores, hyphea, etc. Then using this ACT as a root-ball drench or poke hoes into the rootzone and pour the ACT into the hole so it hits the roots...multiple applications would prolly be a good idea.

[1]Tests by MM showed worm food-stuffs which included oat flour helps promote fungi when brewing ACT. There is also a good deal of information about "activating EWC" by the addition of oat flour.

[2]There is currently some thought/debate that alfalfa meal in ACT helps the mcyo's in the soil produce more glomalin. While I don't know if this is true it is worth the addition IMVHO.

[3]It is common for people to use "pre-digester's" to begin the decomp process on worm food so they worm can make ready use of the food. While this is good idea you loose a lot of life and microbes in the pre-digester. So I use bokashi PSC as it offers the same benifits as the "pre-digester" along with all the benifits of EM, boakshi and resulting microbes in the bokashi PSC.

SCD-world (the EM ppl in the US) produce their EWC in a similar manner. They feed there worms bokashi PSC. It's really amazing how fast worms the devour the bokashi PSC. I think it's due to all the microbes in the PSC which the worms consume...it's pretty funny becuase a lot of my worms are orange from the carrot pulp which makes up the majority of my PSC.

The funniest looking worm is the tiger becuse when it's organe on the inside it's stripes really stand out...very pretty! I use Idaho blue, tigers and Reds in my bins...