Materials and Methods

Fresh tissue samples from Lentinula edodes were collected from various regions, including the stipe, pileus, and the junction of the pileus and stipe, and were maintained on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) medium. Six replications were established for each treatment. Observations were made on yield attributes, including spawn run days, days taken for primordial initiation, average weight of sporocarps, number of sporocarps produced, overall yield, and biological efficiency. These parameters were carefully assessed and recorded.

Result and Discussion

The data on the performance of tissue culture isolates derived from various regions of the sporocarp, focusing on yield parameters and biological efficiency, are presented in Table 2. Among the cultures tested, the isolate developed from the junction of the pileus and stipe outperformed those from other regions, demonstrating the shortest spawn run period of 35.2 days, the earliest pinhead formation at 85.3 days, the highest yield of 321.4 g per bed, and the greatest biological efficiency at 64.2%. This was followed by cultures obtained from the stipe, pileus, and spores, in decreasing order of merit. Notably, the culture derived from spores yielded the least compared to the other isolates. Previous studies have also highlighted the performance of tissue cultures sourced from different sporocarp regions. [3] reported significant yield differences among various tissue cultures and the parent culture of the same strain of Agaricus bisporus. Similarly, [4] indicated that cultures obtained from the junction of the pileus and stipe of A. bisporus consistently performed better across various parameters. [4] further concluded that pileus tissue cultures of A. bisporus exhibited superior overall performance compared to those raised from stem and gill tissues. The superior performance of the cultures derived from the junction of the pileus and stipe in this study can be attributed to the presence of more active, viable, and virulent cells in that region. [5] noted that more actively differentiating cells are observed at the junction of the pileus and stipe of a sporophore, which may explain the enhanced performance of these cultures.

Conclusion
The findings of this study underscore the significance of the tissue culture source on the yield and biological efficiency of Lentinula edodes. The superior performance of cultures derived from the junction of the pileus and stipe highlights the importance of selecting optimal tissue regions for cultivation. These cultures not only exhibited shorter spawn run periods and earlier pinhead formation but also yielded the highest overall production and biological efficiency. The results align with previous studies that emphasize the potential of specific sporocarp regions in enhancing mushroom cultivation outcomes.

References

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• Mehta, K.B. 1991. Performance and stability of tissue culture isolates taken from different regions of sporophore. In: Nair, M.C. (ed.), Indian mushrooms, KAU Press, Vellanikkara,   Thiruvananthapuram, India. pp.43-45.
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