Abstract
Mushrooms harbor diverse bacterial communities that can enhance their growth. Investigation on the role of these bacteria as growth-promoting agents offers a promising approach for improving mushroom production. In vitro co-culturing of fungi and bacteria is a useful method for screening these growth-promoting effects. Previous methods using a circular design and dual compartments have shown that Paraburkholderia fungorum GIB024 is a growth promoter of Rhizopogon roseolus TUFC 10010, but challenges were encountered in clarifying the specific influence of the bacterium or the medium with the control. To address this limitation, we developed a tri-compartment screening design in a single Petri dish. This design allowed for direct observation of mycelial growth towards the bacterial compartment (BC) or control compartments (CC). Using this tri-compartment method, medium alone did induce any directional bias in the growth of mycelium on the control plate, as evidenced by the similar growth towards BC, CC, and perpendicular directions. Additionally, applying P. fungorum GIB024 to the BC, but not to the mushroom compartment (distal location) resulted in a positive effect on the mushroom. Specifically, the mycelial growth occured more towards the BC rather than the CC or perpendicularly. This new method provides a useful tool for investigating the role of bacteria with growth-promoting effects on mushrooms.
