Cultivation of shiitake mushroom, Lentinula edodes, in several lignocellulosic materials originating from the subtropics

Mycelial growth of two strains of the mushroom Lentinula edodes (IE-40 and IE-105) was evaluated on barley straw, corn cob, corn stover, rice bran, br acts of pineapple crown, coffee husk, sugarcane bagasse and sugarcane leave s. The last four substrates were chosen for mushroom production essays. A m ixture of coffee husks, coffee pulp and sorghum,grains was used as spawn. T he substrates were sterilised and inoculated, under aseptic conditions, in plastic bags. The bags were incubated at 25 degrees C in darkness. There wa s no development of primordia in the coffee husks. In the other substrates, primordia were observed between 30 and 62 days. Both strains, IE-40 arid I E-105, showed their highest production in sugarcane bagasse, with biologica l efficiencies of 130-133 %, followed by 83-98 % in sugarcane leaves and 36 -37 % in bracts of pineapple crown. ((C) Inra/Elsevier, Paris.).