Effects of temperature and interval of watering time on the yield and the morphological characteristics of fruit-bodies of shiitake mushroom (Lentinus edodes) was studied with sawdust-culture method. Four treatments including two different temperatures (15°C constant and 23°C (0600-1800 hr) /15°C (1800-0600 hr) ) and two different intervals of watering time (every 24 and 48 hr) were applied to two different commercial sawdust-cultured shiitake mushrooms.
When the medium was watered every 24 h, fresh yield of fruit-bodies was 1.3 times as much as that watered every 48 h. In addition, the fruit-bodies could be harvested earlier, the fresh weight per fruit-body and its water content was higher, its size was larger and its cap was thinner than those watered every 48 h.
When the temperature was 23/15°C, the fresh weight per fruit-body and the number of harvested fruit-bodies tended to be larger than those at the temperature of 15°C constant. The start time of harvest was 5-10 days earlier than that at 15°C. The length of the stipe was longer and the cap was thinner than those at 15°C.
It was obvious that the temperature and the interval of watering time affected the yield and the shape of the fruit-body of shiitake mushrooms using sawdust-culture method.