The title says it, its a theory that I developed over time by putting different pieces together.
Feel free to throw your thoughts in here, to discuss or even to change my mind, I want to talk about it.
In MS grows (multispore) we have many strains present, agressive ones, trashy ones, extremely potent ones, strains that are not even able to produce fruits etc.
The organism is a complex and complicated system.
Anastomosis:
"In mycology, anastomosis is the fusion between branches of the same or different hyphae. Hence the bifurcating fungal hyphae can form true reticulating networks. By sharing materials in the form of dissolved ions, hormones, and nucleotides, the fungus maintains bidirectional communication with itself. The fungal network might begin from several origins; several spores, several points of penetration, each a spreading circumference of absorption and assimilation. Once encountering the tip of another expanding, exploring self, the tips press against each other in pheromonal recognition, fusing to form a genetic singular that can cover hectares called a genet.
For fungi, anastomosis is also sex. In some fungi, two different haploid mating types - if compatible - merge. Somatically, they form a morphologically similar mycelial wave front that continues to grow and explore. The significant difference, is that in each septated unit is binucleate, containing two unfused nuclei, i.e. one from each parent that do not undergo karyogamy."
'Better' strains fuse with 'lower quality' strains when the expanding tips meet each other and find compatible strains.
This not only happens when for example plates are inoculated with spores, it also happens when grain colonizes and when the colonized grain is broken up and mixed with whatever kind of bulk substrate.
The recolonizing parts (the whole thing) has mycelium colonizing into all directions and at parts that appear to be fully colonized there again the tips of the colonizing mycelium from every single grain meet the tips from the neigbor grain where possibly Anastomosis can happen.
To safe a genetic its common practice to take spore prints.
The present genetic in every spore print is directly influenced by the choice of the fruits we decide to print.
Here are the first pieces put together to get an idea of what I try to say.
If the genetic of our prints is influenced by the quality of the fruiting strains, then does growing MS grows, where constantly good with not so good strains fuse, not 'degenerate' our home grown genetics ?
I did read that freshly collected wild growing Cubensis are of much better quality than domesticated ones.
I could imagine that outside in alot rougher conditions only the strongest strains are able to survive and produce fruits.
They then drop spores and again only the toughest strains are able to survive and produce fruits (natural selection).
In our home lab setting we always give our best to provide the best possible conditions for spores on agar plates to germinate, for grain to colonize and to have optimal fruiting conditions.
Compared to the "natural growing Cubensis" in nature there is a huge difference because here in our home cultivation we also give weaker strains the opportunity to 'compete' and mix their genetic into 'the pot'.
By bulking we provide a second opportunity to mix weaker strains with 'better' ones.
For the case the theory is accurate, I'd like to throw a hypothesis into the room.
"Not only selecting strong mycelium from agar and sorting out weak strains prior to any fruiting, does work against the degeneration of all of the home grown varieties; also inoculating germination plates with heavily diluted spore solutions or just a tiny amount of spores (a needle tip) would also make sure that we have less potential to heavily mix up good with not so good genes."
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Feel free to chime in and tell your thoughts or to change my mind, everyone is welcome
Edited by Moby, 17 February 2021 - 09:04 AM.