The Impact of Drying Temperature on Basidiospore Size

Fungal taxonomy research, and specifically the study of macro and micro morphological characteristics, requires precise temperature control. This is because variation in temperature can affect macrofungal microstructures. Understanding the appropriate temperature range for drying macrofungal fruitbodies is crucial to ensure consistent reports between studies. In this study, three macrofungal species, viz. Agaricus bisporus, Lentinula edodes, and Pleurotus ostreatus, were selected to compare basidiospore sizes in dried and fresh macrofungal fruitbodies. All three were dehydrated within 24 h of harvesting at five different temperatures: 30 °C, 35 °C, 40 °C, 45 °C, and 50 °C, with dehydration lasting 48 h. We measured a total of 1000 basidiospores at each temperature for each species. A linear regression model was used to monitor the relationship between drying temperature and the length, width, and Q value of the basidiospores. We found that drying temperature was negatively related, while Q value was positively related to basidiospore length and width. Analysis of variance shows significant changes in basidiospore size among different drying temperatures. Our data indicate that the optimal method for drying macrofungal fruitbodies is to use a temperature of 30 °C for 48 h and subsequently preserve the specimens with silica gel. Standardizing drying temperature is crucial for the study of macrofungi as basidiospore size is used as a discriminative taxonomic characteristic in macrofungal identification.