It’s not.

Fungus is well established and documented as-is. No need for genetically modified.

Just choose the right ones for the application

My application is I want to be able to drill a hole and fill it with food and fungal spores. Later I want to come back and harvest a giant mushroom which will be full of lithium that the mycelium has pulled from the ground and concentrated at the surface.

Can you suggest a species for me to use? I know that there are ones that do this, more or less, for arsenic, but I want lithium instead.

> No need for genetically modified.

Yeah, same could be said for lots of things, but Monsanto can't patent generic fungus, but if they insert a gene to make it die off every year, they can patent it, charge lots of money, re-sell it over and over, and sue anyone who happens to grow some without paying themn.

Charge lots of money for what?

one example I can think of fungus that is souped up to be able to liberate phosphate or <insert trace mineral> from the local rocks in the area at higher rates than whats around there.

Yeah, it would need to have some advantage over the ability of natural mycorrhizal fungi, and improving the uptake and exchange of phosphate and iron might be good, especially for soils where those ions are less mobile, like clays and very basic soils. Just given the realities of climate change, increasing arable land could be a huge bonus for some crops. That would be the good side. The negative side would be along the lines of predatory Monsanto/Bayer seed practices. See <https://www.reuters.com/article/us-monsanto-organic-lawsuit-...>

My limited understanding is that there's some kind of exchange happening within these mycelial networks. The plants trade hexose for phosphates and nitrates, more or less.

One hack that might be worth trying is to see if we can can supply another energy source (non food grade sugars) so that the plant doesn't end up "paying" for phosphates and nitrates with nutrients that we'd rather keep for ourselves.

Maybe that's as simple as adding compost, but it could be that some tampering is warranted to ensure that the plant gets a free ride and the fungus indeed quests after the nutrients we want it to (verses just taking our bribe and ignoring the plant, which it no longer needs as an energy source).