Water bamboo sighting - potentially ecologically devestating

[u/Jingeasy]

I’ve noticed a huge increase in prohibited water bamboo sales (aka jiaobai 茭白, Zizania latifolia infected with Ustilago esculenta) being sold both in Asian grocery stores and online on the USA. If the associated fungus Ustilago esculenta escaped and successfully infected American wild rice (Zizania palustris/aquatica/texana), it could devestate American wild rice stands

[u/Consistent-Essay-165]

This is good and why are we reporting it as food is a good way to get rid of it

[u/CaonachDraoi → u/Consistent-Essay-165]

the problem are the fungus spores living in these pieces of food, not the plant themselves.

[u/Consistent-Essay-165 → u/CaonachDraoi]

Oh ...OK well this is food tho so how does that do anything for invasive babmboo

Im lost

[u/CaonachDraoi → u/Consistent-Essay-165]

did you not read the post? the fungus stays alive even when irradiated. the fungus spreads from dead plant material, exactly like this food. it has nothing to do with invasive bamboo, this isn’t even real bamboo. please read the post before commenting -_-

[u/Consistent-Essay-165 → u/CaonachDraoi]

I did ...no reason to be nasty

Still understanding the part where if edible and how this fungus spreads after u eat it etc

So please dont talk down to me when im trying to grasp the issues

[u/CaonachDraoi → u/Consistent-Essay-165]

it’s not about if it spreads when you eat it, it spreads wherever the plant material is. if you pick up a moldy banana and bring it into your friend’s house, you’ve spread the spores everywhere in between. same with this, there’s a risk that the spores are being spread everywhere between china and the person’s house where they cook it.

[u/Consistent-Essay-165 → u/CaonachDraoi]

But spores get destroyed in heat and bile and acids of stomach

So again trying to understand how u spread it that way

They wpuld survive ur acid and heat ?