The biologist explained the influence of the snowy winter on the mass appearance of spring mushrooms

The mass appearance of spring mushrooms directly depends on natural factors such as snowy winters, temperature and soil moisture. Roman Oparin, Associate Professor of the Department of General Biology and Bioecology at the State University of Education, told Izvestia on March 11.

According to Oparin, a snowy winter significantly increases the likelihood of spring mushrooms. An abundant snow cover protects the soil and mycelium from deep freezing, and also contributes to the accumulation of moisture. During the melting of snow, a water reserve is formed in the soil, which creates favorable conditions for the growth of spring fungi such as morels and stitches.

"The first spring mushrooms usually appear in well—warmed areas - on forest edges, clearings, in sparse deciduous forests, along forest roads, in burning areas and old clearings. They prefer loose soils with moderate humidity, where snow falls earlier and the soil warms up faster. But even under favorable conditions, mushroom harvests are distributed unevenly: spring species can appear en masse in one area and almost absent in the neighboring one," Oparin explained.

At the same time, the distribution of spring mushrooms in the territory depends on a whole range of natural factors. Thus, in regions with a temperate continental climate and deciduous forests, as a rule, more favorable conditions are created for their fruiting. For example, in the Tver, Smolensk, Kaluga regions and the eastern regions of the Moscow region, there is a high yield of spring mushrooms.

In addition, as the expert noted, it is important to remember that a snowy winter does not guarantee a successful mushroom season throughout the year.

"Summer and autumn views are much more dependent on the weather conditions of the current season: first of all, on the temperature and precipitation in late spring and early summer. If May and June turn out to be dry, the mushroom season may be weak regardless of winter moisture reserves," the biologist concluded.

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Anton Moskaev, head of the Research Laboratory of Experimental Biology and Biotechnology, Associate Professor of the Department of General Biology and Bioecology at the State University of Education, said on March 10 that an abnormally snowy winter in Central Russia is unlikely to lead to a noticeable increase in the number of mosquitoes, since there are already enough reservoirs in the region for their reproduction. He specified that the mass appearance of insects begins when the air temperature stays above +10 degrees for about ten days.

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