STRAIN SELECTION FOR CULTIVATION OF SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS (LENTINUS-EDODES) ON STRAW

A two-stage method of strain selection was developed for optimal adapt ation of the production of Shiitake mushrooms(Lentinus edodes) on stra w substrate. The use of esterase isoenzymes, to indicate genetic varia tions, and mycelium growth rates, as a criterion for strain/substrate compatibility, were combined as tools for selection. The strains that were selected (four out of 22) developed fruit bodies on cotton and wh eat straws mixtures (CWS), but only two of them gave yields on cotton straw (CS) alone. Biological efficiency reached 82% for CWS and 46% fo r CS in commercial-scale production trials.