Wang W, et al. Nutr Res Pract. 2023 Dec;17(6):1070-1083. https://doi.org/10.4162/nrp.2023.17.6.1070

Stropharia rugosoannulata is a mushroom that is rich in nutrients and has a pleasant flavor. Its cultivation area is expanding rapidly due to its simplicity and diversity. However, the developmental mechanism of the fruiting body, which constitutes the edible portion of S. rugosoannulata, remains to be elucidated. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a comprehensive study. Our approach entailed the observation of sections through the fruiting body of S. rugosoannulata and the sequencing of the transcriptomes of various fruiting body tissues. The results demonstrated significant variations in the structure of the pileipellis, pileus, gill, veil, stipe, and trama of S. rugosoannulata. The predominant metabolic pathways included the amino acid metabolism of the pileus, sugar metabolism of the stipe, tryptophan metabolism, and wax production of the pileipellis, the DNA pathway of the gill, amino sugar metabolism of the veil, and the nitrogen metabolism of the trama. The promoter cis-element analysis revealed the roles of light response, methyl jasmonate, oxygen, and temperature on the differentiation of the veil, trama, and pileipellis, respectively. In summary, the present findings offer a molecular mechanism for the development of the fruiting body and provide directions for the enhancement of cultivation techniques of S. rugosoannulata.

Hericium coralloides is a highly valued gourmet and medicinal species with growing market demand across East Asia, though industrial production remains limited by cultivation challenges. This study investigated the molecular characteristics, biological traits, domestication potential, and cultivation protocols of Hericium coralloides strains collected from the Changbaishan Nature Reserve (Jiling, China). Optimal conditions for mycelial growth included mannose as the preferred carbon source, peptone as the nitrogen source, 30 °C incubation temperature, pH 5.5, and magnesium sulfate as the essential inorganic salt. The fruiting bodies had a protein content of 2.43% g/100 g (fresh sample meter). Total amino acids comprised 53.3% of the total amino acid profile, while essential amino acids accounted for 114.11% relative to non-essential amino acids, indicating high nutritional value. Under optimized domestication conditions—70% hardwood chips, 20% cottonseed hulls, 8% bran, 1% malic acid, and 1% gypsum—bags reached full colonization in 28 days, with a 15-day maturation phase and initial fruiting occurring after 12–14 days. The interval between flushes was 10–12 days. The average yield reached 318.65 ± 31.74 g per bag, with a biological conversion rate of 63.73%. These findings demonstrate that Hericium coralloides possesses significant potential for edible and commercial applications. This study provides a robust theoretical foundation and resource reference for its artificial cultivation, supporting its broader industrial and economic utilization.

The return of mushroom residue to the field is an effective measure to improve soil fertility and maintain agroecosystem productivity. We investigated the effects of returning Auricularia auricula residue to the field on the soil nutrients, enzyme activities, and microbial communities in rice–A. auricula rotation farmland. The return of 67.5 ton/ha A. auricula residue to the field significantly increased the contents of ammonium nitrogen, total nitrogen, total potassium, total phosphorus, available potassium (QK), available phosphorus, and organic matter by 180.49%, 70.41%, 16.3%, 54.35%, 137.33%, 38.84%, and 59.29%, respectively. The activities of urease, sucrase, β-glucosidase (β-GC), and acetyl-β-d-glucosidase significantly increased by 32.98%, 407.78%, 206.85%, and 186.26%, respectively; catalase and leucine aminopeptidase activities increased by 244.42% and 130.90% with the return of 54 ton/ha residue. Mushroom residue return increased the Chao1 and Shannon indices of the bacterial community but decreased the diversity of the fungal community. Redundancy analysis showed that QK, β-GC, and urease were closely associated with shifts in microbial community structure. Therefore, returning 67.5 ton/ha (149,925 bags) A. auricula residue to the field can enhance soil ecological functions by improving soil nutrients, enzyme activities, and microbial community structure.

The transition toward industrial-scale, year-round production of Pleurotus pulmonarius necessitates efficient and standardized spawn production. Liquid spawn technology plays a pivotal role in this process; however, recommended formulations and science-based quality criteria remain lacking. This study aimed to screen a high-performance liquid spawn medium and define key quality parameters for industrial application. Ten culture media formulations were evaluated to determine their effects on mycelial growth, as well as the subsequent yield and quality of fruiting bodies. The optimal formulation (Formula 4) contained glucose (1.6%), soybean meal (0.3%), corn flour (0.2%), peptone (0.2%), KH₂PO₄ (0.1%), and MgSO₄ (0.055%). The growth rhythm of the selected formulation was meticulously tracked, leading to the identification of a critical inoculation window between 4.75 and 5.5 days. Spawn within this window exhibited a mycelial biomass of 1.60~1.86 g/L, pellet diameter of 1.83~1.92 mm, pellet density of 12.25~13.75 per mL, and fermentation broth pH of 6.35~6.44, which were strongly correlated with peak yield (up to 284 g/bag) and premium-grade ratio (up to 87.97%). The multi-parameter composite standard is proposed as a practical tool for quality control in industrial fermenters, enabling precise harvest timing and ensuring the consistent, high-yield, and high-quality production of P. pulmonarius.

Light is a critical environmental cue regulating development and quality in edible fungi, yet the effects of dynamic light regimes (for example, transitions from white to blue light) remain poorly understood. We systematically investigated how white-light pretreatment duration (0, 4, 8, or 12 h) and two blue-light regimes—B6 (6 h blue followed by white until harvest) and Bc (continuous blue until harvest)—affect fruiting-body development, yield, color, textural properties, and nutritional quality of Pleurotus pulmonarius. The experiment was conducted at a single commercial production facility in Zhejiang Province, China, using the commercial strain P. pulmonarius (cultivar ‘Jinxiu’). Two-way ANOVA revealed significant interactions between white-light pretreatment and blue-light regime for cap a* value (red-green), cap width, cap hardness and chewiness, stipe hardness, number of fruiting bodies, and several nutrient components. All dynamic light regimes reduced cap L* value (lightness) and b* value (yellow-blue); continuous blue (Bc) produced a darker cap. Yield responses to blue-light duration depended on pretreatment: without white pretreatment, Bc outperformed B6, whereas with 4–12 h white pretreatment B6 produced higher yields. Relative to the control (CK), all dynamic regimes significantly increased total free amino acids and essential amino acids. Except for W4B6 and W12B6, all other treatments significantly increased crude protein; total soluble sugar, crude fat, and crude fiber decreased in most treatments compared to CK. These results indicate that an optimized transition from white to blue light can synergistically improve the color, nutritional quality and yield of P. pulmonarius. The W8Bc regime (8 h white pretreatment followed by continuous blue until harvest) produced the highest cap chewiness (21.65 N·mm) and free amino acid content (3110.44 μg·g⁻¹), the darkest cap color, and the top comprehensive score in the entropy-weighted TOPSIS evaluation, despite ranking second in yield and high-quality rate. Under the conditions tested (single cultivar ‘Jinxiu’ at one production base), we recommend the W8Bc light regime as suitable for industrial cultivation of Pleurotus pulmonarius. However, it should be noted that these findings cannot be generalized to the entire species without further validation across multiple strains and multiple locations.