Growth responses and accumulation of heavy metals by fungus Agaricus bisporus

Ectomycorrhizal fungi are able to form symbiotic associations with tree roots, and therefore, plants gain different benefits. On metal-contaminated soils, these fungi may improve plant fitness through an enhanced nutrition or by reducing toxicity of the metals. Agaricus bisporus, an edible fungus has been noted to grow in large numbers under Pistacia vera plantations in orchards of Kerman, Iran, indicating that it may form ectomycorrhiza with the tree. This research describes the responses of this fungus to heavy metals in solid and liquid MMN media. The fungus was grown in vitro in liquid and solid cultures for 3 weeks on five different concentrations (0, 15, 30, 45, 60 ppm) of five heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Ni, Co, Mn) as sulphate and the effect of these metal on radial growth, biomass production and metal content of fungal biomass were determined. The result showed there was a strong variation in metal tolerance, so that Agaricus bisporus was more tolerant to Mn than other metals, while the reverse was true for Ni, so that the fungus had an increased growth in the presence of low concentrations of Co, Mn, and Zn, but Ni greatly inhibited increase in biomass and colony diameter even at concentrations as low as 15 mg/l