Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF LENTINULLA EDODESHYBRID STRAINS OBTAINED BY INTRASPECIFIC MATING

Nudrat Sanzida Akhtar, Mohan Kumar Biswas and Dayaram

Abstract

Mushroom production started in 1960s and expended rapidly in the 1990s but mushroom as a vegetable isyet to find regular place in the Indian agri-food landscape. Among various cultivated species of mushrooms,shiitake mushroom has a good demand among consumers particularly in northern India due to its numerousbeneficial properties like its taste and medicinal value. Presently, the China and Japan are the bulk producersof this prized mushroom. The current study attempted to generate improved strains of L. edodes by usingintraspecific hybridization. Each of the five parent monokaryotic mycelia (LE-1501, LE-1502, LE-1503, LE-1504 and LE-1505) were mated with the remaining four monokaryons resulting in a total 10 mating. Out of10, only 5 compatible mating strains (Hybrid Spore Pair 1-2, 1-4, 2-3, 3-4 and 4-5) were generated in whichclamp connections were confirmed. The significant variations among the newly generated hybrids wereidentified by morphological visualization. Among five, only three hybrids are totally different from theparents. The strain HSP 1-2 expressed co-dominance by producing distorted, creamy white and honeybrown pileus having white scars observed on some of the fruits with stumpy stipe. While hemispherical,light brown cap with flat, thin and irregular margin was the characteristics of HSP 2-3 and the strain HSP4-5 produced distorted spherical, dull white cap with white scars uniformly distributed from outside. Thisresearch involved a successful initial attempt to use a broad range of analyses and breeding to generatesuperior hybrids of L. edodes.