Fungi for better cider

Scientific research in progress (spot a PhD student)

This week I came across a podcast about a research project conducted by a university lab in Sheffield and sponsored by Heinekken, the producer of Bulmers cider. This project looks at fungal relationships of apple trees in the attempt to find varieties of fungi that will increase the yield and quality of their fruit.

Mycorrhizal association between plants and fungi is a symbiotic relationship benefitting both partners. The plant provides the fungus with the sugars from photosynthesis, and the fungus carries soil nutrients to the plant roots, allowing the plant to feed from a much larger area than its roots actually cover.

The fungi are not all equal, and some species will give their symbiont plant more than others. The goal of the project is to find out, which ones. There are about 160 potted experimental subjects, all apple trees of the same cider-producing variety, most infected with specific species of fungi, and some in sterile soil. In the course of the next three years each of them will be evaluated for fruit yield, general health, and pathogen and pest resistance. One PhD student, Despina Berdeni, is charged with their care and making the required measurements. There are certainly easier ways to obtain a doctorate! I hope she and her lab get some free cider from Heinekken for all their hard work.

The full podcast can be found on the Planet Earth Online web site.

Image credit:
Horse-driven apple crusher in Jersey