Engineered growth of the saprotrophic fungus Pleurotus ostreatus has recently been observed to induce water repellency in sands. As such, there is potential for the deployment of fungi to reduce water infiltration in granular soils. In this study, we investigate the influence of the growth of P. ostreatus on the hydraulic behaviour of a sand amended with organic matter (lignocellulose) over a 12-week period. This includes investigation of the water retention and quasi-saturated hydraulic conductivity properties and the response to ponded infiltration. Furthermore, we investigate alterations to soil microstructure due to fungal growth using X-ray micro-computed tomography. Fungal treatment resulted in a shift in the wetting curves to lower suctions and drying curves to higher suctions, lower quasi-saturated hydraulic conductivity, and lower ponded infiltration rates. These alterations to the hydraulic behaviour are attributed to combined biochemical and biophysical effects of fungal growth leading to clogging of some soil pores by fungal hyphal biomass. These results illustrate the potential for the deployment of fungal treatment as a low-cost technology suitable for application at catchment-scale which could be used to enhance the stability of shallow slopes, cut slopes and retaining walls by maintaining higher soil suction and shear strength after rainfall events.

最近观察到腐生真菌Pleurotus ostreatus的工程生长可诱导沙子的防水性。因此，有可能部署真菌来减少颗粒土壤中的水渗透。在这项研究中，我们调查了P. ostreatus生长的影响用有机物质（木质纤维素）修正的沙子在 12 周内的水力行为。这包括研究保水性和准饱和导水率特性以及对积水入渗的响应。此外，我们使用 X 射线微型计算机断层扫描研究了由于真菌生长引起的土壤微观结构变化。真菌处理导致润湿曲线向低吸力转变，干燥曲线向高吸力转变，准饱和导水率降低，蓄水池入渗率降低。这些对水力行为的改变归因于真菌生长的综合生化和生物物理效应，导致真菌菌丝生物质堵塞一些土壤孔隙。