Productivity of edible fungi in taiga communities

Abstract

The authors studied edible macrofungi in natural forest communities of middle taiga in Kirov region, Russia. Out of more than 400 macrofungi species known within the area, 5 are rare and being protected, over 20 are used as medicinal, 149 species are considered edible, of which 46 are legally allowed for collection. Local population mostly collects 10-15 species. The largest species variety of economically important macrofungi is found in cowberry and maianthemum-cowberry forest types in which Boletus edulis, B. piniphilus, Leccinum scabrum, L. aurantiacum, L. versipelle, Suillus variegates, Xerocomus subtomentosus, Lactarius rufus, Cantharellus cibarius dominate. Maximum long-term average annual productivity of fruit bodies is marked in young pine lichen forests (127.1 kg/ha), minimum - in mature and overmature bilberry and maianthemum-bilberry spruce forests (24.0 kg/ha). In years of good yield basic dominating species of edible fungi in middle taiga are Suillus granulatus and S. luteus (productivity up to 28-57 kg/ha), Cantharellus cibarius (11-17 kg/ha) and red-cap bolete (up to 21 kg/ha).