Abstract

Fungi are important in several aspects of human life. In particular, to agriculture, pathogenic fungi are of great importance, as they are responsible for production losses of the most diverse types. Because of this, knowledge about pathogenic fungus is of extreme importance for farmers and professionals working in agricultural areas. Among farmers who use specific agroecological practices, this knowledge is even more valuable, since by not adopting conventional methods of production, they resort to non-invasive alternatives that are less or not harmful at all to the environment in consideration of production management methods. This study aimed to assess farmer perception in the Cerrado biome in the city of Goiás (GO), Brazil, in order to understand their ethnomycological perceptions to verify historical management practices, their knowledge about phytopathogenic fungi, and how these producers perceive fungi. We used the theoretical reference method "From peasant to peasant" formulated by ANPA - National Association of Small Farmers. Some aspects of farmers' ethnomycological knowledge are discussed. These ease identification the representatives of the Fungi Kingdom is associated with organisms that present easily recognizable characteristics, such as wood-ears or disease-causing fungi. In general, farmers are able to identify representatives of the Fungi Kingdom that are found in their daily lives. The perception of farmers about fungi, a group still much unknown by society, is very relevant for future actions of ethnomycology.

Highlights

  • The diversity of fungi is currently estimated at 2.2 to 3.8 million species (Hawksworth and Lücking, 2017), of which just over 7% are identified (Willis, 2018)

  • This study aims to assess farmer perception in the Cerrado biome in the city of Goiás (GO), Brazil, in order to understand their ethnomycological perceptions of fungi to verify historical management practices, their knowledge about phytopathogenic fungi, and mainly, how these producers perceive fungi assuming mycophobia and mycophilia, as well as their relationship with sustainable food production

  • Located in the northwestern mesoregion of the Goiás state, microregion of Rio Vermelho (15° 56’08.1 “S, 50° 08’29.5” W), the municipality has an area of 3,108,019 km2 (IBGE, 2020)

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Summary

Introduction

The diversity of fungi is currently estimated at 2.2 to 3.8 million species (Hawksworth and Lücking, 2017), of which just over 7% are identified (Willis, 2018). As one of the main biological components of ecosystems, fungi play several roles that guarantee the balance and function of practically all possible habitats in which they exist globally. Members of the Fungi Kingdom, one of the most diverse kingdoms in the living world, are currently distributed in 18 phyla (Hibbett et al, 2007; Spatafora et al, 2016; Tedersoo et al, 2018) and participate in natural processes of decomposition and nutrient cycling as one of their main ecosystem functions (Alexopoulos et al, 1996). Mycorrhizal associations favor the aptitude and productivity of plants by improving their performance in capturing water and nutrients, which is an association of both symbiotic mutualism and evolutionarily balanced characteristics (Brundrett, 2004; Blackwell and Vega, 2018)

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