Cultural chracteristics of mycelial growth of Pleurotus eryngii were examined and compared with those of Lentinus edodes and Grifola frondosa. The results were as follows. (1) The optimum temperature for mycelial growth of P. eryngii on YMG medium was 30°C. (2) Pleurotus eryngii grew in the intial pH range of 5.0-8.0 with the optimum at pH 6.0, while L. edodes and G. frondosa grew well at the intial pH of 4.0 and 5.0, respectively, but very poorly at pH higher than 6.0. (3) The pH of cultured medium changed with mycelial growth of P. eryngii. It shifted to higher value when the intitial pH was lower than 6.0, and to lower value when the initial pH was higher than 6.5. (4) Pleurotus eryngii grew fairly well under illumination by fluorescent lighting at below 700 lx, while the mycelial growth of L. edodes and G. frondosa was completely arrested by illumination.

　Since 1962, the author has been engaged with various plant diseases in Tohoku district of Japan, with special emphasis on life cycle study and identification of the causal fungus. As a result, thirty two new species (ascomycetes 13, rusts 11, anamorphic fungi 7, smut 1), together with five new genera, have been proposed so far by the author and his colleagues. In this review, several topics, which were of particular interest and were most rewarding with much information, would be presented as follows: 1, on Japanese species of Monilinia (Sclerotiniaceae), the brown rot fungi of fruit trees: 2, on Lambertella corni-maris, a mycoparasite occurring on stroma of Monilinia fructigena on apple fruits: 3, comparative life cycle studies on apple and pear rusts (Gymnosporangium yamadae and G. asiaticum) in Japan: 4, classification and identification of Cristulariella occurring on woody plants in Japan; 5, on "facultative heteroecism" of the Thujopsis rust (anamorph Cacoma asnaro, teleomorph Blastospora betulae) and 6, on large concentric ring spot, an unique leaf disease of Aesculus turbinata caused by Mycodidymella aesculi (synanamorphs Mycopappus aesculi and Blastostroma aesculi).