Succession of fungi decomposing wheat straw in different soils, with special reference to Fusarium culmorum

Abstract

A study has been made of the sequence of fungi developing on wheat straw buried in four arable soils, an allotment soil, and a glasshouse compost. Both natural untreated straw, and straw autoclaved in a 2 % solution of sodium nitrate were employed. Fusarium culmorum and mucor spp. appeared to be dominant organisms in the earlier stages of straw colonization, but these were replaced by penicillium spp. in the latter stages of decomposition. The nitrogenous treatment of the straw favoured the development of penicillium spp. at the expense of Fusarium culmorum and mucor spp. The pathogenicity of the Fusarium culmorum isolates to wheat seedlings was established by inoculation experiments. The data provided by this investigation are considered sufficient to justify the inclusion of F. culmorum in reinking & manns' (1933) group of soil-inhabiting Fusaria, or true soil fungi.