The wild mushroom Astraeus hygrometricus is a traditional delicacy during the monsoon season in South-western India. Bioactive principles and antioxidant potential of uncooked and pressure-cooked tender mushroom have been evaluated. Seven bioactive principles of mushroom (tannins, flavonoids, vitamin C, phytic acid, lycopene, β-carotene and trypsin inhibition) were significantly higher, while total phenolics content was significantly lower in uncooked than in cooked samples. Mushroom was devoid of L-DOPA, whereas only uncooked samples showed haemagglutinin activity against A⁺ blood group. The principal component analysis of uncooked mushroom showed only two bioactive principles clustered with two antioxidant properties, while in cooked mushroom five bioactive principles clustered with three antioxidant properties depicting the nutraceutical potential of cooked mushroom. Future studies should focus on appropriate thermal treatment, which retain maximum bioactive and antioxidant potential to combat health- and lifestyle-related ailments. The A. hygrometricus is ectomycorrhizal, conservation of its host tree species is utmost importance in improvement and expansion of its yield to sustain food security and economic gains of local tribals.

Aquatic hyphomycete conidial trapping efficiency by the banyan (F. benghalensis L.) latex-coated glass slides was tested diurnally (3 h intervals) in the Western Ghats (Sampaje) and west coast (Konaje) streams in relation to abiotic factors (humidity, air temperature and water temperature). The conidial trapping efficiency of latex-coated slides was compared with plain glass slides and drift conidia in water. Three methods of assessment showed higher species richness, conidial richness and diversity in Sampaje than in Konaje stream. In both streams, species richness, conidial richness and diversity in latex-coated slides were the highest followed by conidia in water and plain slides. Three-way ANOVA revealed significant differences in overall species and conidial richness between the streams, sampling methods and time of sampling (p < 0.001). Multiple comparisons by Holm–Sidak test revealed significant differences in overall species and conidial richness between Sampaje and Konaje (p < 0.001); latex-coated slides and plain slides (p < 0.001); latex-coated slides and water filtration (p < 0.001); plain slides and water filtration (p < 0.001). Total species, total conidia and diversity assessed by the three methods peaked during 12 am–3 am in Sampaje stream, while during 3 am–6 am in Konaje stream. Cooler conditions due to relatively low water temperature favoured higher diversity of aquatic hyphomycetes in Sampaje than in Konaje stream. The three methods employed in the present study were not biased towards scolecoid or stauroid conidia. The top five species in both streams was composed of both types of conidia corroborating earlier annual or biannual studies in Konaje and Sampaje streams. Thus, assessment of population of aquatic hyphomycetes using banyan latex-coated slides will be advantageous over plain slides and drift conidia in streams.

Fortnightly survey in control and fire-impacted regions of scrub jungle of south-west coast of India during south-west monsoon (50 m² quadrats up to 10 weeks) yielded 34 and 25 species of macrofungi, respectively. The species as well as sporocarp richness were the highest during the fourth week, while the diversity attained the highest during the second week in control region. In fire-impacted region, the species and sporocarp richness and diversity peaked at sixth week. Seven species common to both regions were Chlorophyllum molybdites, Lepiota sp., Leucocoprinus birnbaumii, Marasmius sp. 3, Polyporus sp., Schizophyllum commune and Tetrapyrgos nigripes. The overall sporocarp richness was higher in fire-impacted than in control region. The Jaccard’s similarity between regions was 13.5%, while fortnights of regions ranged from 0% (10th week) to 11.7% (eighth week). Control region showed single-species dominance by Xylaria hypoxylon, while multispecies dominance by Cyathus striatus and Lentinus squarrosulus in fire-impacted region. Except for air temperature, nine abiotic factors significantly differed between control and fire-impacted regions. The Pearson correlation was positive between species richness and phosphorus content in fire-impacted region (r = 0.696), while sporocarp richness was negatively correlated with pH in control region (r = −0.640). Economically viable species were 12 and 10 without overlap in control and fire-impacted regions, respectively.

We examined the pattern of adherence of aquatic hyphomycetes conidia on six latex-coated slides (Artocarpus heterophyllus, A. hirsutus, Calotropis gigantea, Ficus benghalensis, Manilkara zapota and Plumeria rubra) with plain slides (control) exposed up to 18 h in a tropical coastal stream. Conidia of 21 species were trapped on latex-coated slides against seven on control slides. The total conidia adhered on latex-coated slides was higher than control slides. Latex-coated slides showed the highest diversity of aquatic hyphomycetes than control slides (1.805) and water (0.729). The top five species of aquatic hyphomycetes in latex-coated slides and drift conidia were comparable. Sørensen’s similarity of species in control slides against latex-coated slides ranged from 25% (P. rubra) to 62.5% (C. gigantea) indicating superiority of latex-coated slides in conidial trapping. Among the latex-coated slides, similarity varied between 13.3% (A. hirsutus vs. P. rubra) and 89.6% (F. benghalensis vs. M. zapota). One-way ANOVA showed significant difference in richness of species (P < 0.001) and conidia (P < 0.05) between control and latex-coated slides by F. benghalensis. Based on the trapping efficiency of species and conidia, the latex of F. benghalensis ranked first and serves as an inexpensive technique to monitor aquatic hyphomycetes in streams.

This study provides the nutritional qualities of two wild mushrooms (Agaricus abruptibulbus and Termitomyces globulus) commonly consumed by the tribals of Kaiga forests of the Western Ghats of India. Both mushrooms composed of high quantity of crude protein, crude fibre, calorific value and low quantity of crude lipid. Potassium and selenium contents were high, while sodium, calcium and phosphorus contents were low. Except for three essential amino acids (EAAs: leucine, tyrosine and lysine), the rest of the amino acids in both mushrooms were comparable to soybean and wheat. Based on the EAA standards of FAO-WHO, these mushrooms composed of high quantity of threonine, isoleucine and histidine. The EAA score of isoleucine in cooked A. abruptibulbus and threonine, isoleucine, phenylalanine, histidine and sulphur amino acids in cooked T. globulus were substantially high. Oleic acid constitutes a major unsaturated fatty acid in these mushrooms, which was significantly increased in cooked A. abruptibulbus. Cooking also increased the ratio of TUFA/TSFA in A. abruptibulbus, while it was opposite in T. globulus. Cooking significantly increased the linoleic acid in A. abruptibulbus and eicosadienoic acid in T. globulus.

Assemblage of aquatic hyphomycetes and decomposition of banyan leaf litter (Ficus benghalensis) were assessed in riparian tree holes and in a tropical coastal stream during rainy season up to 8 weeks in south-west coast of India. Although fungal assemblage was similar, leaf decomposition and leaf chemical changes differed between tree holes and the stream. Out of the 18 aquatic hyphomycetes, 17 were common on leaf litter in tree holes and the stream. Anguillospora longissima, Flagellospora curvula, Lunulospora curvula, Triscelophorus acuminatus and T. konajensis were the top five species in tree holes and the stream. The species richness was the highest during the second week in tree holes (11 species) and the sixth week in the stream (14 species), while the conidial output was the highest in tree holes and the stream during sixth week. The daily decay coefficient (k) was significantly faster in streams than in tree holes. Mass loss of banyan leaves between tree holes and the stream was positively correlated with conidial output by the aquatic hyphomycetes. The estimated half-life (t₅₀) of leaf decomposition ranged between 70 days (stream) and 128 days (tree holes). Organic carbon in leaf litter gradually decreased, while nitrogen content decreased up to 1–2 weeks and then gradually increased over the incubation period. Ergosterol showed a gradual increase in tree hole litter, while it attained its peak in 4 weeks and declined thereafter in the stream litter. Loss of phosphorus concentration was rapid in the stream than in tree holes. Total phenolics concentration in leaves decreased rapidly in the stream than in tree holes. However, low dissolved oxygen in water and the slow release of phenolics from the leaf litter showed negative impact on the fungal activity and the rate of leaf decomposition in tree holes.