The Hidden Kingdom of Fungi: The Secret Garden

Note:  Talk begins at 7:30 pm

Drawing on his more than forty years of research around the world, Dr. Seifert will introduce us to the intricate connections between fungi and all life on Earth, with an emphasis on those impacting gardens and food. These remarkable microbes are intricately involved with plants, which prosper from symbiotic fungi in their leaves (endophytes) and (mycorrhizae). Our beloved compost heaps become humus through the action of mould enzymes. And as any gardener knows all too well, there is this troubling matter of plant diseases.

BIO:
Keith Seifert spent more than 40 years studying fungi on five continents. At Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, he did research on microscopic fungi from farms, forests, food, and the built environment, in an effort to reduce toxins and diseases affecting plants and animals. He was president of the International Mycological Association, an executive editor of Mycologia, and associate editor of several other scientific journals, and is now an adjunct professor at Carleton University. His book for general readers, The Hidden Kingdom of Fungi, was published in 2022 by Vancouver’s Greystone Books.