This Valentine Day morning, scientists from Wageningen UR’s Plant Research International were amazed to discover small mushrooms in the breeding tubes used for storing the morel fungus. Mushrooms are the ‘sex organs’ of fungi, responsible for sexual reproduction. Spores on the mushroom are the ‘seeds’ from which new fungi can grow. It is a mystery to the scientists why the morel has started to think of sex at this point in time, especially as the breeding tube was stored in a special cold room.
Morels are edible mushrooms that are collected in nature. Delicatessens and some supermarkets sell them in a dried form.
Plant Research International is the Dutch institute for research into edible mushrooms. Scientists the world over have been trying to breed the morel mushrooms for a long time, so far without success. This is another reason why the Wageningen scientists are delighted with their find, although they have yet to discover why the morel was ‘thinking about sex’.