SPECIES-SPECIFIC SELECTION ON SOIL FUNGAL POPULATION AFTER OLIVE MILLWASTE-WATER TREATMENT

Soil was treated with olive mill waste water (OMW) in order to study t he effect of this agriculture waste on soil fungal population. Changes in fungal composition were observed after soil pollution. In order to test OMW selective pressure, growth kinetics of Penicillium cyclopium , Scopulariopsis brevicaulis and Cladosporium cladosporioides were stu died on solid media supplemented with different OMW concentrations. S. brevicaulis and C. cladosporioides did not grow at OMW concentration higher than 50%, while at concentrations lower than 50% a growth decre ase was observed. Instead, P. cyclopium was able to actively grow at a ll concentrations of OMW tested. Therefore the OMW can influence and m odify the soil fungal homeostasis. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.