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.

To address the “fungus-forest conflict” in the edible mushroom industry and the challenge of resource utilization for bamboo substrate waste, this study focused on white Auricularia cornea, and cultivation systems were established with bamboo substrate replacing wood chips at ratios of 0%, 18%, 38%, 58%, and 78%. By integrating liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis with agronomic trait measurements, the study elucidated the metabolic adaptation mechanisms of the substrate. Results indicated that white A. cornea could grow normally in all bamboo substrates, with the 58% bamboo substrate replacement group (D_58) demonstrating the most optimal overall performance. The mycelial growth rate reached 3.55 ± 0.24 mm/d, and the growth period was the shortest (86.2 d), balancing growth efficiency with cost advantages. Metabolomics detected 3779 metabolites, primarily amino acids and their derivatives (42.2%) and organic acids (35.54%). Compared to the control group, each treatment group exhibited 104–528 upregulated and 192–630 downregulated differential metabolites, with 93 shared differential metabolites and numerous unique markers. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis revealed that varying bamboo substrate ratios shaped growth adaptation strategies by regulating core pathways such as nucleotide metabolism and ABC transporters. This study established the feasibility and optimal formulation of bamboo substrate substitution, elucidated the substrate–metabolite–phenotype linkage mechanism, and provided theoretical foundations and practical references for high-quality cultivation of white A. cornea and sustainable development through “substituting bamboo for wood” to reduce carbon emissions.

Continuous cropping in facility agriculture induces severe soil degradation through acidification, nutrient imbalance, and pathogen accumulation, posing a significant threat to agricultural sustainability; to address this challenge, we developed an innovative Stropharia rugosoannulata -Ornamental Sunflower Rotation System (SR-OS2) incorporating spent mushroom substrate (SMS) and investigated its remediation mechanisms through integrated approaches including soil physicochemical analysis, extracellular enzyme assays, high-throughput sequencing (16S/ITS), co-occurrence network analysis, and Partial Least Squares Path Modeling (PLS-PM). The SR-OS2 system significantly enhanced soil properties by increasing pH (+0.57 units), decreasing electrical conductivity (−37.56%), and boosting available phosphorus (+84.2%), while also shifting microbial communities toward bacterial dominance with a 37.4% increase in bacterial Chao1 diversity and a 39.1% decrease in fungal diversity, alongside strengthened bacterial connectivity (+42%) and reduced fungal modularity in co-occurrence networks. Enzyme stoichiometry further revealed alleviated nitrogen limitation (vector angle: 27.2°–30.9°), and PLS-PM identified dual remediation pathways—a dominant biological pathway ( β = 0.92) and a physicochemical pathway ( β = −0.501); these improvements collectively demonstrate that the SR-OS2 system synergistically restores soil microecological functions, providing a sustainable paradigm for agricultural waste valorization and effective management of continuous cropping obstacles.