CULTIVATION TECHNIQUE FOR SHIITAKE MUSHROOM

INTRODUCTION
S hiitake (Lentinula edodes) is the most important culinary medicinal mushroom which
ranks at number two in terms of total mushroom production in the world only next to button
mushroom. Shiitake is a prized mushroom with a delicious taste and texture. It is used
medicinally for diseases involving depressed immune function-including cancer, AIDS,
environmental allergies, Candida infections and frequent flu and colds. Shiitake is also
beneficial for soothing bronchial inflammation and regulating urine incontinence as well as for
reducing chronic high cholesterol. Lentinan (a cell-wall constituent extracted from the fruiting
bodies of shiitake) is an immunomodulating agent which may be useful both as a general
rejuvenative for older persons, as well as prophylactically to protect healthy, physically active
young people from overwork and exhaustion.

History of Shiitake Cultivation

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Cultivation of shiitake has a fascinating history. During the Sung dynasty (1100A.D) in China, a famous
personality Wu San Kang, noticed the shiitake growing onthe fallen dead wood logs (Luo, 2004). As a
first milestone in shiitake cultivation,domestication of these naturally grown wild mushrooms was
started by Wu SanKang on the fallen logs of deciduous wood which is popularly known as the“Hatchet-
notching” technique. When he cuts the logs, he observed that, themushrooms grown on the cut logs
were of better-quality. However, there were nomushrooms during certain times despite of his cuttings.
With frustration one dayhe beat the logs feverishly. Surprisingly, mushroom started producing
profuselyafter some days. This was considered to be origin of the shocking method, cuttingand beating
of natural logs in shiitake cultivation. Later Chinese growers introducedthis cultivation technique of
shiitake to the Japanese farmers. From there it spreadto the other Asian countries.

Eight centuries later the development of hatchet notching cultivation technique,during 1936; Kitajima in
Japan (Chang and Miles, 2004) started working with thepure culture technique in log production. He
demonstrated the use of pure culturefree from other microbial contamination and its inoculation in the
logs. Thisapproach brought the control over the crop production in the hands of the growersand led the
way for extensive natural log cultivation. The third and significanthistorical milestone was the invention
of synthetic bag log cultivation methodology.This technique was evolved and improved by Peng in China
during 1983 (Ting,1994). Compared to the natural log technique, the grower can harvest 3-4 timesmore
mushrooms in sawdust log method in just one-tenth of time (Royse, 2002).The adoption of sawdust
cultivation method became more rapid and faster due tothe greater productivity with shorter growing
cycles.

Hatchet-notching cultivation technique

“Hatchet-notching” is a relatively primitive and semi-artificial method ofcultivation. In this method, a

hatchet (a small axe with a short handle) was used tomake cuts in the felled broadleaf tree trunks . The
cut ends are exposed towild L. edodes spores floating down with the wind for inoculation. The yields
levelsin this technique depends greatly on the density and quality of the wild L. edodes spores in the
natural environment and also on the prevailing local climatic conditions.

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(a) Siteselection; (b) cutting-down of the tree; (c) Duohua; (d) shielding; (e) Changhua; (f) shielding-
removal;(g) Jingxun (hitting the mushroom tree); (h) picking and baking

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CULTIVATION TECHNIQUE ON WOODEN LOGS

Lentinula edodes grows in nature on the dead wood of a number of hard wood trees mainly
Quercus spp.(Oak),Castenopsis spp. (C. chinensis, C. tissa, C. fordil, C. lamontii etc.) .Elaeocarpus spp. (E.
chinenses, E. japonicus, E. lancaefolius), Lithocarpus spp. (L. calophylla, L. glaber, L. spicatus), Betula spp.
and Carpinus spp. various plant species graded for cultivation adopting suitable strains either those
which can fruit at or above 10°C. The detailed cultivation technique is as follows :

1. Log preparation
2. Spawn preparation
3. Spawning logs
4. Crop management

LOG PREPARATION

The mycelium of Lentinula edodes is saprophytic and wood rotting fungi. it mainly grows on dried
wooden logs absorbing nutrients from the cambium. Various trees which are suitable as logs for the
cultivation of shiitake has been rated excellent, good, fair, poor and very poor according to their
performance. Among the excellent trees are the Carpinus laxiflora (Hornbean), Castanea
crenate(Japanes),Castanopsis cuspidata (Shii)

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