INSECTICIDAL PROPERTIES OF MUSHROOM AND TOADSTOOL CARPOPHORES

In order to find compounds with insecticidal or antifeedant properties from mushrooms and toadstools, a wide screening was undertaken using the non-mycophagous Drosophila melanogaster as a model insect. Powdere d fruit bodies of edible and poisonous mushrooms were incorporated wit h the Drosophila's rearing medium, and their development was observed. Among the 175 different species of fungi tested, 79 were found to inh ibit insect development, hence making the isolation of new compounds l ook hopeful.