Rwanda-Fungi
Wednesday 9 November 2016
Sunday 3 May 2015
Mushroom Farm
Laurent Demuynck, CEO of Kigali Farms |
We arrive in Kigali where we meet up with
Laurent Demuynck, the founder and CEO of the company. He told us about the aims of his enterprise.
Kigali farms is a social profit making
enterprise that was set up in 2010.
Coming from an idea to reduce the level of malnutrition, they have
concentrated on mushrooms because they have a high nutritional value. The wild edible mushrooms of Rwanda
interested us from the beginning although they had never previously been
researched. Our ambition was to discover
the hidden treasures of the Rwandan forests which are eaten by the local
population
Our goal was to make Rwanda an example of
excellence when it comes to the cultivation of mushrooms.
We then make our way to the production
facility of Byumba where we meet Adriane Mukeshimana (production and quality
control manager) who will show us the various stages of production, starting
with the wild varieties collected by our mycologists. So let's follow the guide…
Purification
of the mycelium
A piece of mycelium is removed from the
collected mother material and transferred to a new Petri dish with agar
nutrient medium. This step takes place
under sterile conditions following a standard protocol. The mycelium can now start to grow.
Step 2
Step 3
Seeding
of the inoculum into grow bags
The
grow bags go to the incubator
The grow bags are stored in the dark in the
incubation room. These conditions
prevent the premature formation of fruiting bodies.
Step 5
The
grow bags are buried
The grow bags are finally transferred to trays
containing soil. The air humidity is
kept at a constant 95% with a temperature of 18-22°C. Under these conditions we can shortly expect
fruiting bodies to develop on the surface of the soil. In this case Oyster mushrooms that can then
be harvested.
Hopefully the mushrooms which we collected
on our expedition will also grow here… but it’s far too soon to say… Fingers
crossed.
Saturday 2 May 2015
Camp-base
The collection of edible mushrooms in the
mountain forests is only the first stage in the work of our mycologists. Back at base camp their working day has still
many hours to go.
A sample consists of several mushrooms
originating from the same mycelium. The
sample is given a number, a description and photos taken in the field. Afterwards, each sample undergoes various
procedures with three end goals:
1. Spore print and inoculation
Spore print |
The cap (pileus) of the mushroom is placed on a holder to collect the
spores. In mycological terminology, this
is called taking a spore print. The
following day the spores are harvested and seeded onto a Petri dish containing
growth medium (agar). After a few days
incubation the mycelium in the Petri dish are sufficiently grown to be passed
onto to Kigali farms to grow on.
2. Living stems and DNA samples
Inoculation |
3. Collections of the Botanic Garden
DNA samples |
The rest of the sample is dried and placed
in a plastic bag and deposited by RDB. A
duplicate goes to the herbarium collection in the Botanic Garden, together with a
description, the field photos and a sample of the spore print. A microscopic examination is necessary to
confirm the identity of a species.
A mission day starts at dawn but seldom
ends before 7p.m.
Collections for the Botanic Garden |
Thursday 30 April 2015
Surprises in between the bamboos
Sabyinyo volcano |
The deciduous forests at the foot of the
Bisoke volcano had a diversity of
mushrooms. But how is it in the bamboo
forests? To answer the question our team will go on an exploratory mission to
three of the volcanoes (Sabyinyo, Gahinga and Karisimbi).
A new local guide accompanied us. His name is Damascene and he knows a lot
about the forest. No wonder as he lived
there for 18 years before leaving, now some twenty years ago.
First to the Sabyinyo volcano. Many paths wind their way through the
bamboo. They are covered with the
footprints of ungulates. ‘Buffalo’ said Raymond. Judging by the amount of manure there must be
a lot of them.
The edible mushrooms are ready for
inspection. Damascene does not know
their names but firmly claims that he has eaten them – also species that
mycologists don’t regard as being edible or very tasty, but probably he did not
have the luxury to be that selective.
What is striking said Jerome are the
mushrooms that grow on bamboos, but their diversity is not so great; maximum a
few Marasmius and Collybia species. In the straw layer of fallen bamboo leaves
almost no mushrooms are to be found there.
Although the diversity of species is not so
great, the bamboos have a few special surprises for us. First surprise: two species of honey
fungus. The true honey fungus (Armillaria mellea) which we know as a pathogen in European forests and its
relation Armillaria heimii.
Collybia aurea |
Still more surprises were to come: in the
bamboo forests of the Karisimbi volcano our mycologists find the golden collybia
(Collybia aurea), a warm
yellow-coloured species that is considered as a delicacy in the neighbouring
country of Burundi. A little further on
we find Termitomyces robustus, the
famous mushroom that lives in symbiosis with termites. The discovery of this edible species in the
bamboo forests comes as a big surprise.
It’s one for the list of exciting discoveries, we were told by a clearly
satisfied mycologist
Tuesday 28 April 2015
Mycologists in the mist
Pleurotus cystidiosus
|
To see mushrooms you need to get up early
in the morning. Its 7 a.m. Up we go direction Kiningi, the entrance to
the Volcanoes National Park. We have an
appointment with Raymond, a ranger who will accompany us during our
mycological expedition on the slopes of the volcanoes. We are not alone – a visitors centre with a
fleet of 4x4s and tourists all hoping to catch a glimpse of the mountain
gorillas.
Between
the Lobelias
Our first stop: the Bisoke or Vasuki
volcano (3711 m) shrouded in the mist. A
few soldiers were waiting for us. To
protect us during our ascent from the buffaloes they told us.
Our journey was painfully slow between the
giant Lobelias because the underground was wet and spongy.
The magnificent trees are completely
covered with mosses and lichens… including a nice variety of edible
mushrooms. We also found a species of
oyster mushroom that we had not so far found on our mission Pleurotus cystidiosus; certainly one to try at Kigali farms.
Raymond was very interested in our mission
and in wild mushrooms. He knew some of
the species which are edible or not, but regretted that he knew no more than
that. No problem said Jérôme, because we
will make an illustrated guide of edible mushrooms. This will also be useful for people such as the rangers
of the park.
The harvest is good. In the basket of the mycologist are 20 plus
different species including a light green coloured Agaricus mushroom. Maybe a
new species for science but still be confirmed on our return says our mycologist
with hope but also with caution.
Camp
Dian Fossey
After a few hours plodding through the mud
we reach the remains of the camp Dian Fossey who was murdered here in
1985. Here rests ‘Nyiranachabelli’ the
‘lonely spirit of the wood’ it reads on a memorial gravestone, next to the
remains of ‘Digit’ one of her favourite gorillas.
The day went well and it was time to start our descent to the base camp where our scientists had some evening work to do. On our way back we see a fresh footprint of a gorilla … one can dream…if only we could see one.
Sunday 26 April 2015
To the Volcanoes!
After visiting Bweyeye and Gishwali our
third trip, the Volcanoes National Park.
A national Park along the northern border of Rwanda with the Democratic
Republic of Congo and Uganda which was set up in 1925 (originally Albert park:
named after the Belgian King) to protect the last of the mountain gorillas.
Karisimbi (4507 m) |
Since it was set up, the boundaries of this
park have been continuously eroded by agriculture, cattle farmers but also on
more than one occasion since 1979 by the government as a solution to the
rapidly increasing population but also to allow for the cultivation of
pyrethrum (a bio insecticide). In 1960 it
was 34.000 hectares, but now only 16.000 ha remain which now come under Rwandan
State protection.
The park is known for its five extinct
volcanoes that belong to the Virunga chain of volcanoes (a total of 8 African
volcanoes);
For the record
- The Karisimbi (4507 m)
- The Bisoke (3711 m)
- The Sabyinyo (3634 m)
- The Gahingha (3474 m)
- The Muhabura (4127 m)
From the foot of volcanoes to the summit
four distinct vegetation zones can be differentiated.
- The bamboo forest zone (Yushania alpina) between 2500 and 3200 m above sea level.
- The Hagenia – Hypericum zone (3100-3500 m)
- The Senecio- Lobelia zone (3500-4200 m) – this is also the tree limit zone
- The alpine zone where only a few grass species, mosses and lichens can be found.
The next few days we stayed in the slopes
of the volcanoes looking for edible mushrooms from the rainforest. Looking out for the local gorillas!
Saturday 25 April 2015
Local mycology in Gishwati
After a long journey we arrived in Nyundo,
almost one and a half hour bumpy roads until we finally arrive in the forest
of Gushwati. During the journey you
cannot miss the tea plantations, the pride of the region and if you believe the
bill boards, the best tea in whole Rwanda!
This morning we meet up with Charles and Martin, two Rwandans. They are our guides for the next
2 days. They know the Gishwali forest
like the back of their hands, as Charles told us, who lived there until 1985
with her family under a green leaf roof.
Since then she has been forced to live in villages because their native
home areas in the forest have been out of bounds because they have been given a
sacred status.
We were curious. Does the knowledge of mushrooms make a part
of their collective cultural memories? Do they still eat these mushrooms? Do
they have their own local names for these mushrooms? It’s up to us to see what we can find out
during our mission.
Into the forest via one of the small paths,
we are greeted with the ear bashing chorus of crickets and a concert of some
exotic birds and in the distance the chatter of chimps. After a few minutes into the forest we make
our first find – two species of Judas ears (Auricularia
cornea and A. delicata )
Auricularia cornea |
According to our guides they are named ‘
Ikinyagutwi’ in Kinyarwanda. Both of them know these species very well, but,
surprisingly they don’t eat them so much which is striking since they are
considered elsewhere in Africa as a delicacy.
We quickly make some photos, take some samples and continue on our way.
Using machetes our guides cut a path through
the thick undergrowth. A little further
on another find the mushroom Agaricus
cf. bingensis. In Uganda this relative of the 'champignon de Paris' is highly appreciated as a culinary delicacy. Not here though. Local tradition has it that you will become
deaf if you eat it!
The local name leaves no doubt over. ‘Ikizibamatwi’ means ‘mouth’ on the ear!
Continuing on our journey we find around 20
other edible species that are collectively known as ‘Ubuzuruzuru’. Possibly a generic name that indicates that they are edible.
Amongst our finds an oyster mushroom (Pleurotus djamor), an interesting find with potential for Kigali farms.
Although Charles and Martin have a
considerable knowledge of native forest mushrooms, the same cannot be said for
the younger generations who have never know life in the forest.
Unless we do something now, all of this
local knowledge will be lost forever.
It’s for this reason that local mycology is such an important part of
our mission here in Rwanda and it underlines the commitment of the Botanic
Garden, Meise to contribute, in a positive way, to keep this knowledge from
being lost forever. If we succeed, the future prospects for the local people
will be improved giving them a sustainable means to improve their nutrition and
their lives. The potential for eco-tourism should also not be underestimated as an additional source of income.
Thursday 23 April 2015
The Gishwati Forest
Gishwati Forest |
Gudula, a young Rwandan scientist joins the
team. She will replace Assoumpta for the
rest of our stay. After the Amanita saga of Bweyeye, it’s the second stage of our mission: the study of mushrooms in the Gishwati
Forest, of course, the edible species.
What remains of the forest is only a small garden in comparison to the
original surface area of 28.000 hectares in 1970. Today, the forest is little more than 1.500
hectares of its former glory… an enormous loss.
The causes are well known, agriculture, free grazing of cattle, and… relocation of refugees after the genocide and the introduction of non-native
tree species. Also, well know are the
very negative consequences of such a huge loss of virgin montane forest –
soil erosion, reduction in soil fertility and perhaps most significantly the
loss of biodiversity. We will never know
what species have been lost since they never been studied by scientists. The
few remaining chimpanzees and golden apes must feel very crowded in such a
small living space.
Nevertheless, there is still hope! All may not be lost forever for these
isolated animals. There are current
plans to create a ‘green corridor’ to connect this isolated forest with the
Nyungwe National Park. If these plans
ever become reality, this would offer a real lifeline for the continued
existence of the Gishwati Forest and its endangered inhabitants.
In the next days the team will have to work
in an already difficult context. Will they find here a diversity of mushrooms?
And will it be as rich as in the mountains of Nyungwe and on the Volcanoes?
Only the future will tell…
Sunset on Lake Kivu |
Tuesday 21 April 2015
On route to Gishwati
A transition day...
We travel by jeep to the Gishwati Forest Reserve, which rises majestically above the Lake Kivu, half a kilometer from
the town of Gisenyi. In this virgin
montane forest of 1500 hectares we make our way through difficult terrain
looking for edible mushrooms that could be grown by our project partner Kigali
farms.
On route our 4X4 broke
down. But then, lifting our spirits, Jérôme cried
out ‘Look Termitomyces robustus!'
On the side of the road a young girl was
selling two nice bunches of this mushroom (see photo). This edible mushroom, known through the whole
of central Africa, is not included in our mission. This is because there is virtually no chance
that it could ever be commercially grown.
Why not?
The reason is
simple. Termitomyces robustus grow in termite hills forming a symbiosis
(partnership) with termites. This
partnership is a win-win situation. By
farming the mycelium (or fungal hyphae) inside the termite hill, the ants are
helped to breakdown woody material by enzymes secreted by the fungus. This means that if we want to cultivate this
particular mushroom we will have to find a way of ‘domesticating’ the termites
because they are essential for the development of the fungal mycelium. This is perhaps future music but, for the
meantime, we are a long way from achieving this goal. It is for this reason that our mission is
primarily focused on the search for edible saprotrophic mushrooms (like
Pleurotes) that are far easier to cultivate commercially. More on this later…
Friday 17 April 2015
Back to Bweyeye
This morning we repeated our trip of
yesterday to Bweyeye. Two hours of bone
shaking driving by jeep in the forest of Nyungwe, until we meet up again with
our local guide of yesterday evening, Damascene. We had given him the task to find for us a
nice group of Amanites, so that we
could carry out a toxicological investigation.
Considering that we already found 4 examples yesterday we were confident
that our search of today would be successful.
Damascene returned to the village after his
fungal foray with a trog full of mushrooms.
A quick look by one of our mycologists (mushroom expert) confirmed that
they were indeed Amanitas and enough of them for us to investigate.
A satisfied Jérôme decided to continue the
search for other species by criss-crossing the hills surrounding the
village. Whether the Amanitas are edible or not we leave in
the capable hands of Assoumpta who will carry out a survey amongst the local
population. He is essential to analyse
the various claims made.
A young girl, Louise says she will let us
see how she prepares these mushrooms. We
return to the village followed by a group of laughing children who quickly take
their place in the limited space in her home.
Louise confirms our first witness: the
cuticle of the mushroom cap is removed.
Once all of the fibres of the mushroom cap have been peeled, the flesh
of the cap is cut into pieces and mixed with other vegetables (tomato, onion…)
and cooked in water.
Assoumpta asked Louise why she peeled the
mushroom. Was it to avoid the poisonous
chemicals that could be present in the cuticle or for another reason. Louise answered that it was because the
cuticle was sticky and not because it was poisonous. Other witnesses were not in agreement with
Louise and confirmed that it was poisonous, a family of 4 were presumably killed after the
consumption of unpeeled mushrooms. But there is no evidence that mushrooms were
the cause of these fatalities. The only
thing for sure is that they remove the cuticle before cooking the mushrooms.
At this stage
there are three possible hypotheses about non-toxic Amanitas which belong to the group of ‘phalloides/marmorata’
which are known or suspected of containing fatal fungal toxins.
- Theory 1 – the local inhabitants are immune to the fungal toxins and their bodies can break down the toxins of the mushrooms
- Theory 2 – The fungal toxins are only present in the cuticle and the rest of the mushroom is edible
- Theory 3 – all parts of the Amanite are edible
The mystery of the Amanita is still not solved, but witnesses have already given an
indication to the possible answer to our investigation. The Amanitas are separted into 2 parts: those which are completely intact with a complete
cap, the other a cap without cuticle.
There will be two samples cut, separately dried for a toxicological
analysis which is planned for our return.
The Amanitas of Bweyeye has
not yet given up all of its secrets... to be continued !
Thursday 16 April 2015
The mystery of the Amanite of Bweyeye!
Cercopithecus l'hoesti |
Today, we have a meeting in Bweyeye, a
village on the edge of the Nyungwe National Park (970 km²), located in the south
west of Rwanda on the border with Burundi, not far from the Lake Kivu. The mountain forest of Nyungwe is perhaps one
of the best preserved in Central Africa.
It has an exceptionally rich fauna and flora: around 13 species of
primates, 32 species of amphibians and 38 species of reptiles and not to forget
a thousand species of plants. The
mushroom flora is not so well known, just like in the surrounding countries
and regions. This is the motivation for
our scientific mission which has as a goal of gaining a better knowledge of
edible mushrooms.
Rendez-vous
in Batwa-land
After two hours hiking through a maze of
paths in the montane forest of Nyungwe, we arrive in Bweyeye. Here the local population are hunter-
gatherers. Jean Marie,
a forest ranger we met from an earlier scientific mission in October of last
year, is waiting for us.
The first exploratory mission in October
already indicated the presence of strange Amanites
– from the group ‘phalloides’
or ‘marmorata’. This remains to be confirmed but it has
almost certainly been introduced with Eucalyptus trees originating from
Australia. This is not so
exceptional. Many mushrooms have been
spread across the entire world in the way.
The hyphae or mycelium of the fungus were hidden on the roots of the
Eucalyptus or Fir trees. But most
surprising is that this Amanite is
considered as edible by the local population.
To science species of this group are unanimously considered as deadly poisonous !
Is
the Amanite edible?
Jean-Marie found a local inhabitant that
would act as a guide in our search for the Amanite. The aim: to collect large quantities of
Amanite to carry out genetic and toxicological analyses. In this way we can determine the species and check the presence or not of deadly poisons. In the meantime, Assoumpta, remained in the
village to find out how local people prepared these mushrooms for eating.
Without some effort you will not reach your
goal said Jérôme Degreef, the scientific coordinator of the expedition. Ahead of us a steep climb to the top of the
hill where these famous mushrooms can be found.
We are looking for mushrooms with a volva, which is a sort of sack
that remains on the base of the stem (stipe), a characteristic morphological
feature of Amanites. After three hours
of trekking we find some perfect specimens of other mushrooms – but no
Amanites. They nevertheless grow in large
numbers in October. A look of despair
could be seen on Jérôme’s face until finally our local guide leads us to a plot
of ground where he believes we could find what we were looking for. ‘Yes that’s it’ shouted Jérôme, and as quick
as lightning the mushrooms were photographed, listed and harvested for our
collection.
After some ten minutes we find another
three examples in various stages of growth (see photo).
Sadly, the amount of material is far too
limited to be able to carry out a toxicological investigation.
We take the opportunity to ask our guide if
he eats these mushrooms and how he prepares them. His answer is yes, but he removes the cuticle
of the cap before cooking them. This
confirms what Assoumpta was told by the village women.
Tomorrow we will return to continue our
harvest but to be sure of success we ask our guide and the local village
children to help. What will the result
be? That will see on Friday.
On route to Nyungwe
During the first day in Kigali, we
finalised our preparations for the mission.
It took no less than 12 hours hard driving on bad roads (made even worse
by the rainy season) – with the inevitable unexpected surprises en-route-
before we reached south-west Rwanda.
Our first trip was to the buffer zone in
the Nyungwe National Park. For the
scientists Assoumpta and Jérôme: they were hoping to solve the mystery
surrounding the Amanita of
Bweyeye… this saga to be continued
Friday 10 April 2015
Mission Rwanda Fungi 2015
From 13 April until 4 May , the Botanic Garden Meise (Belgium) undertook a scientific expedition to Rwanda to make an
inventory of edible mushrooms from the mountain forests and
national parks: Volcanoes National Park, Gishwati Forest Reserve, Nyungwe Forest…During an exploratory expedition in November 2014, a whole range of
mushrooms were identified on-site.
Within the group of edible mushrooms are
a number of species that have a definite economic value for local
communities. These species will be collected and then propagated by
Kigali Farms, a for enterprise with a social purpose. This unique project
combines fundamental and applied research. It also seeks to have
immediate but sustainable development by generating income for local communities
and commercial concerns.
For the mission, the project will be communicated from this blog. We will publish as many reports as possible about the various phases of the project. This media will also serve as a diary of the mission.
For the mission, the project will be communicated from this blog. We will publish as many reports as possible about the various phases of the project. This media will also serve as a diary of the mission.
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