Improving Soil Surface Erosion Resistance by Fungal Mycelium
Zhang Xijin, Xudong Fan, Chanjuan Han, Chen Wang, Xiong Yu
Abstract
Soil erosion leads to extensive environmental problems and comprises the serviceability of infrastructure, such as bridges. An environmental friendly method to improve soil erosion resistance is highly desirable. This study investigated the performance of a filamentous fungus, Pleurotus ostreatus, to improve soil erosion resistance. Experimental results indicate that fungal mycelium fiber and exo-polymers improve the soil particle adhesion and the fiber filaments act as soil reinforcements; both improve the soil erosion resistance. Besides, the hydrophobic surface of fungal mycelium reduces the erosion force by flowing water due to a slipping effect at the interface between water and soil. Consequently, fungi demonstrates unique performance in improve the soil erosion resistance.