Abstract
Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of DNA was examined for six species of mushrooms in the genus Pleurotus: P. citrinopileatus, P. cornucopiae, P. ostreatus, P. pulmonarius, P. salmoneostramineus and P. sajor-caju. DNAs prepared from the species were analyzed on agarose gels after digestion with restriction enzymes such as HaeIII, HinfI, MspI, RsaI, Sau3AI and StyI. RFLP banding patterns generated by each of the six enzymes were found to be species-specific. The banding patterns of P. citrinopileatus and P. cornucopiae were distinctive but relatively similar among six species examined, indicating that the two species were closely related. Six isolates of P. cornucopiae, three wild and three commercial strains, were also analyzed. Based on the RFLP patterns, the wild isolates were found to be closely related to P. citrinopileatus, while the commercial strains were to P. cornucopiae.
