Boron Contents of Some Wild-Growing Mushrooms Collected from the Vicinity of Boron Mines in Balikesir, Turkey

The aim of the study was to determine the boron contents of some wild-growing mushrooms collected from the vicinity of several boron mines located in Balikesir, Turkey and compare the boron contents of some mushroom and soil samples. The locations of the mushroom samples collected were within the distance of 0-100, 100-500, and 500-1,000 m to the mines. Soil samples were taken from beneath randomly selected fungal fruit bodies. A total of 40 mushroom samples were found in the study area and 37 different species were identified. Among the 40 samples analyzed, the highest boron content was detected to be 273 mg kg(-1) in Suillus collinitus. Also, Tricholoma terreum (69.52 mg kg(-1)), Myxomphalia maura (36.52 mg kg(-1)), Otidea concinna (30.70 mg kg(-1)), Sepultaria arenosa (28.94 mg kg(-1)), Melanoleuca paedida (28.33 mg kg(-1)), and Lycoperdon lividum (28.31 mg kg(-1)) relatively have high levels of boron and these species are proposed as candidates for boron accumulation. The boron contents of the other mushrooms varied and a pattern was observed where the boron content was found to be decreased as the distance from the mines increased.