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.