RESOURCE-ALLOCATION ABILITY OF WILD ISOLATES OF AGARICUS-BISPORUS ON CONVENTIONAL MUSHROOM COMPOST

Twenty-one wild isolates from two distinct sites and six cultivated st rains of Agaricus bisporus were cultivated on a conventional mushroom compost. Their degradative abilities were studied by measuring 12 extr acellular enzyme activities produced during mycelial growth. Differenc es in production of enzyme activities and in compost colonisation were observed between the three groups of strains and within each group. T hey were used to define the mechanisms of resource allocation in mushr oom compost. The ability to grow and produce sporophores on mushroom c ompost appeared to be linked with the production of a balanced pool of enzymes including moderate levels of polysaccharidases active on stra w cell walls and of enzymes able to degrade microbial biomass and micr obial products.