Sawdust is mainly used mushroom cultivation. In the present study, we examined whether glass beads could be used as a substitute for mushroom cultivation. The mycelium of Tamogitake (Pleurotus cornucopiae var. citrinopileatus) was cultured on a medium containing glass beads (5mm in diameter), rice bran and water (weight ratio 270:16:30). Fruit-bodies are obtained, but the growth of fruit-body primordia did not develop suppressed. When, cellulose was added to the culture to absorb water, fruit-body primordia grew well. However, the yield of fruit-bodies on the glass-beads medium was smaller than on the sawdust medium. By increasing the water content in culture medium, fruit-bodies grew well, and the yield obtained on the glass-beads medium was higher than on the sawdust medium. We also cultivated Hiratake (Pleurotus ostreatus), Enokitake (Flammulina velutipes), Bunashimeji (Hypsizigus marmoreus) and Nameko (Pholiota nameko) on the medium containing glass-beads, rice bran, cellulose and water (weight ratio 190:16:8:65). The mycelial growth of these mushrooms on the glass-beads medium was higher than on the sawdust medium. The fruit-body yields of each mushroom on the glass-beads medium were significantly higher than on the sawdust medium. The glass beads were useable after the washing.

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Changes in shape, color and texture of fruit bodies of Agrocybe cylindracea by boiling for a minute were examined. The stipes became slender and shorter and pilei became thinner and smaller by heat cooking. The fresh weight of the pilei did not change but their water content increased with the decrement of the diameter of the fresh pilei by cooking. The pilei lost reddish and yellowish color and became darker and duller after cooking. Changes in texture of the pilei by cooking were characteristic to this mushroom, i. e., the increment of tenderness and decrement of toughness at the center, and increment of pliability at the side of the pilei after cooking.

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An ectomycorrhizal fungus, Lyophyllum shimeji, was bag-cultured on 1.2 kg of solid medium containing rice bran as a nutrient. Effects of nutrients (rice bran and barley) and substrate (beech sawdust and Akadamatsuchi that is a kind of soil for gardening) on fruit body formation were examined. Fruit bodies of L. shimeji appeared on a medium consisting of rice bran and the soil. However, fruit bodies did not rise on a medium consisting of rice bran and beech sawdust in this study. Suitable volumetric ratio of rice bran to the soil was 1:1. The primordia developed into mature fruit bodies with gills and basidiospores, however, only a few fruit bodies were harvested on the sawdust medium and the average yield was about 30% that of fruit bodies on a medium consisting of barley grain and the soil a volume ratio 1 :2. The most fruit bodies harvested from the soil medium consisting of rice bran and the soil Akadamatsuchi by with the volumetric ratio of 1 : 1 were small, and the each weight was less than 10g although the most largest fruit body weighted to be 12g. These results suggest possibility to harvest mature fruit bodies on a medium containing rice bran as a nutrient. However, it is not enough in productivity for the commercial cultivation by using the test media in this study.

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