A Request for Help

[Darin Burleigh]

Eric Grunden wrote:
> 
> In a previous article, nstn2762 at fox.nstn.ca (Kevin McFarlane) says:
> 
> >       I'm currently working on the second draft of a fiction novel
> >based on a tree-eating fungus. From time to time I'm going to need some
>                                 *******
> 
> Fungi have a bad enough reputation with non-mycologists as it is,
> and now you're going to strengthen that misconception by painting
> them as the "bad guy" again. Why not write a novel about fungal
> products that save the world by killing disease, or symbiosis?...
> 
> [snip]
>                         *******
> 
> >European forests. It's very resilient and none of the known fungicides
> >(what would you use? I've got a couple already but would like some more
> >suggestions) can kill it off. My mycologists are working to break down
> 
>                         *******
> 
> Good! I hope it infects the so-called "mycologists" too so that
> real mycologists can move in and study and classify it ;>
> 


well now, why don't you just write the entire novel for him?
anyway, you could have the bad fungus inhibited by a 'good'
fungus. I beleive that this is actually done. 
The honey mushroom, Armillariella mellea is a serious pathogen
of trees (although quite tasty when cooked). As I recall, many
loggers put a solution with spores of some other fungus on their
chainsaws; the 'good' fungus apparently inhibits the infection
of A. mellea on the (soon-to-be) dead tree, thus keeping
it from infecting live trees. 
===================================================
 - darin
 burleigh at hackberry.chem.niu.edu
 '2 kinds of green, look out!' - dieter rot