Mushroom yield of cultivated shiitake (Lentinula edodes) and fungal communities in logs

Shiitake mushroom (Lentinula edodes) is one of the most commonly consumed mushrooms and an important forest product in Japan. In outdoor log cultivation of shiitake, colonization of logs by wild fungi is an important factor affecting mushroom yield. In this study, we investigated the fungal communities in logs used for shiitake cultivation in three management conditions (two artificial laying yards and a forest floor) via isolation and molecular identification of individual species and examined their association with shiitake production. The isolation frequency of shiitake mycelia explained the mushroom yield, demonstrating that mycelial occupancy of logs is a useful indicator of mushroom yield. The occurrence pattern of other fungal species explained some of the variations in shiitake production, and white-rot fungi especially were found to be associated with mushroom yield. Although management conditions during the spawn run did not influence the richness and composition of fungi in logs, the isolation frequency of wild fungi differed among the treatments.