Abstract
To promote the production of edible mushrooms in Satoyama areas, this study examined the development of mushroom cultivation techniques and cultivars. The major achievements resulting from this research were as follows.
1. A simple inoculation method for bed-log cultivation using spawn comprising disposable chopsticks and toothpicks was devised and demonstrated for Kuritake (Hypholoma lateritium) cultivation. These methods were patented as a “mushroom inoculation method”.
2. In Kuritake mushrooms, high levels of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variability may be maintained in natural populations.
3. Kuritake mycelia grow and spread in the soil using woody residues as a substrate while developing hyphal cords and rhizomorphs. In addition, a method for culturing Kuritake mycelia in nature on sterilized logs was developed. Specifically, a buried culture-bed method employing a basic knowledge of Kuritake cultivation was used in this study.
4. Mushroom genetic resources collected from wild mushrooms, such as Nameko (Pholiota microspora, Numerisugitake (Pholiota adipose), Yamabushitake (Hericium erinaceus), and Kuritake were used to improve cultivars used in mushroom production.
