A dark-septate fungus is the dominant endophyte in roots of the halophite Inula Crithmoides. Does habitat-adapted symbiosis operate in salt-adapted plants?

The Checklist of Sicilian Macrofungi: Second Edition

Approximately 30 years after the publication of the first Sicilian checklist of macrofungi, a new updated version is presented here. The census of macromycetes was carried out through periodic observations in different agricultural and forest ecosystems, in urban areas, in public and private gardens, and in botanical gardens. The 1919 infraspecific taxa included in 508 genera belonging to 152 families were collected in the Sicilian territory. Ectomycorrhizal fungi are the most represented ecological category, followed by saprotrophs on wood, saprotrophs on litter, and terricolous saprotrophs. The interest in this rich group of organisms is evidenced by the nutritional and therapeutic value …

Preliminary studies on "esca" disease in Sicilian vineyards

Medicinal Mushrooms: Bioactive Compounds, Use, and Clinical Trials

Medicinal mushrooms have important health benefits and exhibit a broad spectrum of pharmacological activities, including antiallergic, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, antiviral, cytotoxic, immunomodulating, antidepressive, antihyperlipidemic, antidiabetic, digestive, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, nephroprotective, osteoprotective, and hypotensive activities. The growing interest in mycotherapy requires a strong commitment from the scientific community to expand clinical trials and to propose supplements of safe origin and genetic purity. Bioactive compounds of selected medicinal mushrooms and their effects and mechanisms in in vitro and in vivo clinical stu…

Fungal and bacterial endophytes in Olea europaea.

The composition of the endophytic community in leaves and twigs of the olive-tree (Olea europaea L.) was studied in Sicily (Italy). Two sampling areas were selected: one in San Cipirello (PA) and the other one in Racalmuto (AG). The olive-yards were similar for plant age, cultivar and agricultural management. Isolation assays were made from samples collected from each locality in spring, summer and autumn during 2007 and 2008. Quantities of fungal and bacterial isolates were different in relation to the sampled sites. The prevailing fungal genera in almost all samplings were Alternaria, Cladosporium, Diplodia, Phoma, Septoria, Stemphylium and its teleomorph Pleospora. Regarding bacterial ge…

Mycochemicals in wild and cultivated mushrooms: nutrition and health

AbstractThe mushrooms have contributed to the development of active ingredients of fundamental importance in the field of pharmaceutical chemistry as well as of important tools in human and animal health, nutrition, and functional food. This review considers studies on the beneficial effects of medicinal mushrooms on the nutrition and health of humans and farm animals. An overview of the chemical structure and composition of mycochemicals is presented in this review with particular reference to phenolic compounds, triterpenoids and sterols, fatty acids and lipids, polysaccharides, proteins, peptides, and lectins. The nutritional value and chemical composition of wild and cultivated mushroom…

Fungal Assemblages Associated with Roots of Halophytic and Non-halophytic Plant Species Vary Differentially Along a Salinity Gradient

Structure of fungal communities is known to be influenced by host plants and environmental conditions. However, in most cases, the dynamics of these variation patterns are poorly understood. In this work, we compared richness, diversity, and composition between assemblages of endophytic and rhizospheric fungi associated to roots of two plants with different lifestyles: the halophyte Inula crithmoides and the non-halophyte I. viscosa (syn. Dittrichia viscosa L.), along a spatially short salinity gradient. Roots and rhizospheric soil from these plants were collected at three points between a salt marsh and a sand dune, and fungi were isolated and characterized by ITS rDNA sequencing. Isolates…

IsBattarrea phalloidesreally an endangered species?

Battarrea phalloides (Basidiomycota), a fungus included in many Red Lists worldwide, requires verification of its real conservation status. One of the main problems in the assessment of fungal spec...

Functional bread supplemented with Pleurotus eryngii powder: A potential new food for human health

The purpose of this study was to develop functional breads with powdered Pleurotus eryngii. The breads were produced applying the traditional Italian style sourdough technology. P. eryngii powder was added to flour of tender wheat varieties (Grano Dei Miracoli, Inalettabile, Mentana, Gentilrosso, Ardito and a mix of Rieti, Verna, and Mentana) or semolina of durum wheat landrace (Saragolla) and subjected to sourdough fermentation. Sourdough inoculum was produced with selected strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) belonging to the species Levilactobacillus brevis, Weissella cibaria and Leuconostoc citreum. The addition of Pleurotus powdered (PP) (10% w/w) did not influence the fermentation pr…

Funghi associati ad alterazioni in oliveti siciliani

Coprinopsis strossmayeri agg. infrequent but easy to identify

Presence of endophytic bacteria in Vitis vinifera leaves as detected by Fluorescence in situ hybridization

Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in combination with confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) was applied to detect and localize bacterial colonies in leaf tissues of Vitis vinifera. Leaves were cleared to minimize the autofluorescence of plant fragments. The use of fluorescently labeled bacterial probe EUB338 on discolored grapevine leaf disks allowed the estimation of the spatial distribution of different bacterial colonies. In particular, bacterial colonies were found in veins, cells, hairs, intercellular spaces, and in cut edges of leaf disks of both non-Acremonium byssoides-colonized and A. byssoides-colonized leaves of five different cultivars. Furthermore, CLSM confirmed th…

<p><strong>Typification of the name <em>Eryngium siculum </em>(Apiaceae)</strong></p>

As part of an ongoing study on the names of vascular plants described from Sicily (e.g., Di Gristina et al. 2012, Domina et al. 2014, 2016, Di Gristina et al. 2017, Domina et al. 2017a, 2017b, Scafidi & Domina 2019, Di Gristina et al. 2020), a nomenclature study of the name Eryngium siculum Lojacono-Pojero (1906: 294) (Apiaceae Lindl.), which appears to be yet untypified (see Domina et al. 2014, Peruzzi et al. 2015), is here presented. The present study, which deals with the untypified name Eryngium siculum Lojacono-Pojero (1906: 294), falls within the researches promoted by the Italian Botanical Society aimed to recognize and typify all the taxa described from Italy, in order to increa…

Medicinal Mushrooms as Part of the "Third Mission" Activities of Univesities - A Science to Business Initiative Related to Mycotherapy

In Italy, the National Agency for the Evaluation of the University System and Research (ANVUR) carries out a systematic evaluation of the "Third Mission" activities of universities and research bodies. In this perspective, universities already engaged in research on medicinal mushrooms and on their potential applications in the industrial sector set the frame for collaboration with large, well-reputed private companies. In Italy, one of the major problems of mycotherapy is related to lack of certification and the dubious origin/identity of mushroom extracts used by the industry. Hence, products deriving from medicinal mushrooms that are in trade do not often meet the required quality criter…

Prime osservazioni sulla morfologia di un endofita in Eruca sativa.

Ecology, Phylogeny, and Potential Nutritional and Medicinal Value of a Rare White “Maitake” Collected in a Mediterranean Forest

Albino Grifola frondosa (Dicks.) Gray &ldquo

Interaction between a Bacillus isolate, Eruca sativa and Albugo candida.

Cultivated mushrooms: importance of a multipurpose crop, with special focus on Italian fungiculture

Fungi, organisms of high nutritional value with significant bioactive compound content, are considered to be nutraceuticals, mycotherapeutics, cosmeceuticals and useful for the production of functional foods. Their cultivation allows the sustainable management of agro-industrial wastes and generates good income with low inputs, constituting a good opportunity for the development of economically depressed rural areas. There are also many possible uses for the spent substrate in various sectors. provide an overview of the nutritional value of mushrooms and the cultivation of edible and medicinal mushrooms cultivation and uses in Italy.