COLLECTION, CHARACTERIZATION, AND UTILIZATION OF GERM PLASM OF LENTINULA EDODES

Wild acid cultivated strains of Lentinula edodes have been collected to form a germ-plasm bank of the mushroom. In addition to the ecological, morphological, and physical properties, the strains were characterized to determine their mating types (alleles of A and B incompatibility factors), substrate degradation abilities, mycelial growth rates, and fruiting abilities. The strains were used to establish molecular genetic methods of strain authentification. The genomic fingerprinting method of arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction was found to be a better method than the rDNA internal transcribed spacer regions sequence comparison for L. edodes strain typing. The utilization of the characterized germ-plasm bank for the selection of desirable germ plasm for breeding and cultivation is described. The value and use of molecular markers and genetic maps is also discussed.