Effect of Various Mushroom Substrates on the Mycelial Growth of Lentinus lepideus

Lentinus lepideus, a member of the Lentinaceae family and Lentinus genus, is a brown rot fungus with a natural habitat among coniferous trees across regions such as Korea, Japan, Russia, and beyond. Scientific inquiries have underscored the multifaceted physiological effects of L. lepideus, encompassing anticancer, immune-enhancing, antihypertensive, and antidiabetic properties. These attributes have propelled the fungus into the realm of health food. The primary objective of this study is to investigate optimal substrate conditions for the cultivation of L. lepideus.  From a pool of 15 strains, those exhibiting the highest mycelial growth rate and density were meticulously selected for further examination. Notably, strains KMCC04519, KMCC22813, and KMCC04560 displayed the swiftest mycelial expansion. Given the native association of L. lepideus with pine trees, pine sawdust and fir sawdust were chosen as primary substrates, while wheat bran, corn powder, and corn flour served as nutrient sources. Of the three strains, the KMCC05460 strain demonstrated superior growth compared to its counterparts. KMCC04519 thrived under the Pine sawdust:Corn powder:Wheat bran (90:5:5, v/v) ratio, KMCC22813 excelled under the Pine sawdust:Corn flour:Wheat bran (90:5:5, v/v) ratio, and KMCC04560 exhibited remarkable growth under the Pine sawdust:Corn powder:Wheat bran (90:5:5, v/v) ratio. Moreover, pine sawdust emerged as a substrate favoring mycelial growth over fir sawdust. This study culminates employing the optimized substrate composition of Pine sawdust:Corn powder:Wheat bran (90:5:5, v/v).

This work was carried out by support of “Improving the utilization of genetic resources for supporting mushroom researches (Project No. PJ01437002)” Rural Development Administration, Republic of Korea.