Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) cultivation and uptake of a fungicide, thiabendazole (TBZ) into fruit bodies cultivated on a sawdust media with fungicide at different concentrations including practical one (0.012%) were investigated. When shiitake inoculated on non-sterilized medium (test 1), mycelia did not grow on the medium with even 1.2% TBZ. When shiitake was inoculated on sterilized media with TBZ (test 2), the addition of TBZ at 0.12%〜1.2% decreased mycelial growth as compared with the control without fungicide. When shiitake and Trichoderma harzianum were simultaneously inoculated on sterilized media (test 3), Trichoderma mycelia grew vigorously on the media containing TBZ at concentrations up to 0.0012%, but did not grow the medium over 0.012%. The shiitake spawn grown on 1.2% TBZ medium delayed the browning of spawn surface and showed slightly high pH as compared with the control spawn. The spawn did not mature during the 90 day-incubation due to high TBZ concentration. The first flush on 0.12%〜1.2% TBZ media delayed as compared with that on the control. The first flush on the test 3 spawns at 0.12%〜1.2% TBZ delayed as compared with that of the corresponding test 2 spawns. The yield of first flush fruit bodies on test 2 spawn at 0.12% TBZ medium was lowered as compared with that of the control, while the total yield was almost the same as that from control spawn. However, the yields of the first flush and the total from 1.2 % TBZ spawn decreased to 1/6 times as compared with the control. The TBZ concentrations in fruit bodies were increased with higher concentrations of TBZ added into the media. The TBZ concentrations in fruit bodies from 4 different strains were below the law regulation levels when cultivated on at 0.012% TBZ media supplemented with various nutritional additives. The TBZ concentration in the second flush fruit bodies produced by soaking the TBZ free spawn into 0.012% TBZ after the first flush remained under the law regulation level.

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Effects of moisture and rice bran contents on fruit-body production on sawdustand beet pulp-based substrates in Pleurotus cornucopiae var. citrinopileatus were investigated. In case of the sawdust-based media being low nitrogen contents, the days required for fruiting initiation and the yield of fruit-bodies were largely influenced by the rice bran contents in the media, but not so much by the moisture contents. On the other hands, the beet pulp-based media, which showed high nitrogen contents, produced higher yields of fruit bodies than those in the sawdust media, but the days required for fruiting initiation were rather influenced by the moisture contents. These results suggested that the differences in the substrates may be more influenced than the differences in moisture contents in the cultivation of this mushroom. The possibility for controlling fruit-body production by adjusting the optimal moisture and rice bran contents in the substrates was also suggested.

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Nine species of edible mushrooms, Lentinula edodes, Grifola frondosa, Pholiota nameko, Flammulina velutipes, Hypsizigus marmoreus, Pleurotus ostreatus, Pleurotus eryngii, Pleurotus abalonus, and Agrocybe cylindracea, were examined the mycelial growth and fruit body production on Phyllostachys pubescens (bamboo) powder-based substrate. The rates of mycelial growth on bamboo powder-based media were almost the same as those with the control media prepared from the sawdusts of Fagus crenata or Cryptomeria japonica. On the other hand, the yield of fruit bodies on the test substrate was significantly higher than the control. The test substrate was the most suitable for Grofola mushroom, but not for P. nameko. The addition of wheat bran into on the bamboo powder-based substrate improved fruiting potentials of the mushrooms tested.

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The bed-logs for Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) cultivation were inoculated with Graphostroma platystoma pre-cultured on sawdust medium or wooden plugs in order to evaluate the propagation efficiency of the time, amount and site of inoculation of the latter microorganism. The efficiency was estimated by the stroma rate of G. platystoma (a ratio of the areas with stromata to the total surface area of the bedlogs). When bed-logs were inoculated in early spring, a higher stroma rate was scored. Stroma rate was increased in proportion to the increase in variable by which each diameter (cm) of bed-logs was multiplied for calculating the necessary number of the wooden plug inocula. No harmful effect by the pathogenic fungus was observed when G. platystoma was inoculated at both cut ends of bed-logs.

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