Shiitake mushroom -Lentinus edodes (Berk.

) Pegler
SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION

Kingdom Division Sub Division Class Sub class Order Family Genus Species

: Fungi : Eumycota : Basidiomycotina : Hymenomycetes : Holobasidiomycetidae : Agaricales : Tricholomataceae : Lentinus or Lentinula : L. edodes
(Ainsworth and Whiitaker, 1973)

Introduction
Origin East Asia
Delicious , Medicinal , Edible Strong aroma and Meaty texture

Fragrant, Winter, Flower, Chinese Black, Black Forest , Shiitake Mushroom

Distribution
Native China 20th Century, Chang-chinch Hu (Nanjing University) India Manipur, Mizoram, NRCM (Solan) & IIHR (Bangalore)

Far east area Korea, China, Japan

West area USA & Europe US Virginia, Ohio , Pennsylvania & California

Wild shiitake - Washington & California

(Ammirati, 1997; Desjardin, 1998)

Contd..
South East Asia (China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea ,

Singapore, Philippines , Sri Lanka & Thailand)

North America ( US and Canada)

Europe (France , Germany , Netherlands , Spain , Italy ,

England , Switzerland , Belgium , Finland , Sweden )

Australia & New Zealand

(Oei, 1996; Romanens, 2001)

History
First began in china about AD 1100 (Royse et al., 1985 & Chang and Miles, 1989) Cultivation techniques developed in China to Japanese (Ito, 1978) Berkeley Shiitake as Agaricus edodes in 1877 Collybia edodes, Armillaria edodes, Lepiota edodes, Pleurotus edodes Pegler Shiitake as Lentinus edodes in 1975

Contd..
Shiitake Lentinus edodes Shiitake In Japan shii tree gives logs Lenti Cap, Edodes Edible Specialty Mushroom in North America (Chen et al., 2000; Humble, 2001) Taiwan start cultivation in 1970

Shiitake - Status
China , Japan & Korea Over $15 million of Shiitake - exported to US, 1984 China - 2.1 million pounds 1986 3 million pounds 1987 210,000 tonnes 1991 US 3714 t - 1998 China 88% of total world output (Chang, 1999) China to Japan - 42,057t in 2000

Contd..
North Korea start - 1980s Production - increased - US 24.2% annually since 1987 Farmers produce 2,499 tons per annum - US (94-95) Japan - 200,000 metric tons per annum approx. 80% East Asia - Production - 6,634 tons (1960) 2001 66,128 tonnes (Bing, 2004)

World Scenario of Different Mushrooms

(Chang, 1999)

IN INDIA
Species
Button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) Oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus florida and P. sajor-caju) Milky mushroom (Calocybe indica), Paddy straw mushroom (Volvariella volvacea) Shiitake (Lentinula edodes), Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) (Meera, 2005) Share in cultivation (%) 85 10 5

World Production of Shiitake

CHARACTERS
Relatively long shelf life Size range from baby to large & very dense Dried caps - Swarthy & handsome, gold to dark brown

- top with creamy tan - colored interior gills underneath

Rim of the dried Shiitake curls down toward the stem

Cap ranges from 1 to 1-3/4 wide

Meaty flesh & light garlic-pine aroma

Composition
Delicious, strong aroma & meaty texture

More nutritional value & health benefits

Crude Protein 18% Dry weight basis Vitamins A, B1, B2, C, D2, niacin, lipids, fibre & CHO Calcium, Phosphorus, iron & other minerals, a low calorific count

Fat 4.9%, Carbohydrate 67.5% , Ash 7% Fibre 8% on wet weight basis

Other species

L. ponderosus

L. adhaerens

L. castoreus

L. flabelliformis

L. kauffmanii

L. lepideus

L. sajor caju

L. torulosus

L. giganteus

L. cyathiformis

L. squamosus

L. tigrinus

L. suavissimus

CULTIVATION
Natural logs & Synthetic logs
Natural logs
Natural tree hardwoods

Synthetic logs
Sawdust

NATURAL LOG METHOD

(Florida, USA, Canada, Korea, Asia & Japan)
SELECTION OF TREE HARDWOODS
Shii , Oak red or white, Chinkapin, Hornbean, Sweetgum, Poplar, Alder, Ironwood, Beech, Birch, Willow (Oei 1996)

HARDWOOD LOG CUTTINGS After leaf drop Size is 2 to 6 in diameter and 35 to 40 long

Preparing logs for inoculation

Logs - Cut from trees free from decay.

Trees - harvested - dormant or winter season

Log - 3-6 diameter Length 3 - 5feet Log cutting time should not damage the bark

Automatic Drill
Multi-Hole Driller
Electric drill - most commonly used, but automatic drilling machine Quick driller capable of making 6 to 7 holes, a great labor saving device.

(Lee, 1999)

Spawn characters
Preference for type of wood

Resistance to weed fungi

Speed of colonization (time of first fruiting)

Ease of fruiting
Season of fruiting Size, shape, color and flavor of mushrooms

Spawn bags

Inoculation
Introduction of live shiitake into the log
One time inoculation - produce mushrooms after 6 - 18 mon. &will continue to produce for 3 - 6 years Spring inoculation is done shaded area Internal log : MC - 35% prior to inoculation

First two months should be stacked

Common stacking methods

Growth Stages

(Stamets, 1993; 2000)

Open roof cultivation - Natural log method (ASIA)

Open roof growing house for shiitake Common growing house

Inside the growing house

Watering pipe from underground

Ventilation machine for blowing air

Ventilation through side walls

Gravel on the ground

Outdoor cultivation of shiitake on logs

Watering outdoor logs

Logs in incubation

Logs - incubation

Shiitake mycelia in- incubation

(Choi, 2004)

Harvesting
First small flushes of mushrooms - appear More production in spring & fall Very few - summer & winter Forced to fruit - 3 to 4 times/ yr
Sawdust cultivation of shiitakes

Shiitake growing on Eucalyptus wood logs

Contd..
Log begins to fruit after 6 to 8 months from inoculation (for first harvest) Cropping period is 6 to 8 Months Cut the stem flush with bark - knife individually & stored in cardboard box, 36 - 41F for up to a month For a year round production, logs to be fruited in winter & spring need to be rested indoors Mycelia does not feed while it is dormant Optimum resting period for harvest rate is 8 weeks

Yield analysis
Yield : 33% of Biological efficiency Best production of log - during second & third years Production - no longer possible when the bark is lost

Synthetic- bag method

Saw dust - Formulation of substrate - bag preparation (Miller and Jong, 1987) Main and basal ingredients Basal : Starch based supplements - Wheat bran, rice Bran, Millet, Rye, Corn etc., - added to mix in a 10 to 40%(dry wt) to the main ingredient
Synthetic method of cultivation

Countries
South East Asia (China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Singapore,Philippines Sir Lanka & Thailand) North America (US & Canada) Europe (with France leading, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Italy, England Switzerland, Belgium, Finland, Sweden)

Australia & New Zealand

(Oei, 1996; Romanens, 2001)

Substrate preparation & Inoculation

Hardwood sawdust - preferred compared to softwood sawdust Substrate moisture content : 60 - 65% Add supplements to sawdust (3:1) Supplements rice or wheat bran degradation of wood components - Cellulose & Lignin Other additives Lime & CaCO3 to maintain pH (above 4) physical structure & source of Ca

Substrates
In USA Northern red Oak (Quercus rubra)

Mexico
Sawdust 45% Millet 30% Wheat bran 15% Rye 10% MC: 38% (Royse, 2002)

Brazil
1. Eucalyptus bark (Cellulose industry) 2. Eucalyptus sawdust, Rice Bran, MC: 60% (Santana, 2004)

Muchuan PRS China (Paulownia Plantation)

Sawdust 80%,Rice bran 15% Corn flour 3%,Gypsum 1% Sucrose 1% ,Ph 6-7 MC : 55-60%

Spawn

Process of production on sawdust

Selection of proper ingredients Mixed with water - 60%MC Filling nutrient supplemented sawdust substrate into heat-resistant polypropylene bags for heat treatment

2.5 Kgs per bag

Bags - heat resistant polypropylene & contain special breather patch ( micro porous plastic)

Filled bags - stacked on racks, loaded into an industrial sized autoclave

Heat-sealed cultivation bag with Microfilter breathing window

Sterilized for 2hrs at 121C

Cooled in a clean room

Filling nutrient supplemented sawdust substrate - heat-resistant polypropylene bags for heat

Inoculated with spawn

Bags are the heat sealed & spawn - thoroughly mixed

Spawn for synthetic log production is propagated - steam sterilized sawdust or cereal grain (rye or millet)

Spawn - purchased from commercial Spawn makers

Substrate colonized by mycelium removed from polypropylene bags after a 3-week spawn run

18 to 21 days for spawn run at 21C with 4hrs of light per day Bags are sliced and removed after the completion of the spawn run leaving blokes

Blocks of substrate - exposed to an environment conducive to browning of the exterior log surface Browning period 4 weeks long 19C (CO2 level - 2200 - 3000 ppm Logs are watered lightly once/day

This period is over the primordia begin to form about 1 to 2 mm beneath the surface of the log

Substrate in the browning room 2 weeks after removal from plastic bags.

Bags are ready to produce fruit, Primordia maturation -stimulated by soaking the logs in cool water 12C for 3 to 4hrs

Contd..
Logs are browned inside the bag, soaking - not required because sufficient water - available to support first flush of mushrooms Soaking of logs - required for second & subsequent flushes Soaking allows water to rapidly displace CO2 contained in air spaces in the logs& provides enough moisture for one flush of mushrooms. After soaking, the logs - placed on shelves & the mushrooms begin to enlarge. Approximately 7 to 11 days after soaking, mushrooms - ready for harvesting.

Shiitake fruiting from synthetic logs 7 days after the logs were soaked in water.

Harvesting
Gently twisted from substrate surface by hand & any residual substrate on the mushrooms removed with a knife or scissors Logs are soaked in water again 2nd soaking 12 hrs

3rd soaking -18 hrs for replace the water lost through mushroom tissue production & water evaporation

Average time from peak harvest of one flush to peak of the next flush - about 16 to 20 days.

Marketing
2000 - Export from China to Japan - 42,057 tons (Huang, 2001) Year Growers (Number) Total production (1000 pounds) Volume of Export (1000 pounds)

2003-04
2004-05 2005-06

146
164 176

7,731
9,085 8,090

7,517
8,616 7,761

Agricultural Statistics Board US 2006

May be sold packaged (Whole or Sliced) or in Bulk

Cultivation in India
Lack of cultivation technology on locally available substrates & suitable high temperature strains - major reasons for its non-availability in India Manipur & Mizoram initiated the cultivation based on the Japanese log system National Mushroom Research Center (NRCM- Solan) & Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR- Bangalore)

NRCM
Located in Northern region - sawdust of Oaks, Poplars, Mango & Wheat straw

IIHR
Located in southern region mixed sawdust & wood chips of silver oak & banyan trees & also paddy straw & coir pith

MECHANIZATION
Increase the efficiency of the labor, decrease labor drudgery, streamline the production & bring about consistency & continuity Women are being encouraged to take up cultivation

Contd.. IIHR & NRCM - two institutions working jointly on this project IIHR has designed &developed a grain cleaning machine, a grain-boiling unit and a hand operated spawn inoculation machine

EXPORT POTENTIAL
Low production and unorganized marketing Earlier mushroom export - limited to wild mushroom Morchella Collected from the forests of Himalayan region for export Export of cultivated mushrooms started in 1990

Diseases of Shiitake
Fungi in Log Culture
Wood-rotting
Competing with nutrients & space in the log Competitor fungi arrest the mycelial growth or kill mycelium by inflicting indirect damage

Mycelium killing

Coriolus versicolor

Inonotus xeranticus

Metabolite of harmful fungi which kills shiitake mycelium

Causing a physiological trouble Inflicts a severe damage, sometimes ruining the log
Eg. Trichoderma spp.,

Contd..
COMPLEX DAMAGE Seizing nutrients from the log & killing shiitake mycelium. Wood-rotting fungi such as Hypoxylon truncatum - invades the log & multiply therein make the barks fall off Fungi such as Trichoderma spp. exert adverse effect on growth of shiitake mycelium & finally kill the mycelium.
Occurrence of Disease Fungi for Direct Sunlight White lump on logs grow to form a grayish green button type in the center, turn brown to dark brown as green mounds get lost.

Trichoderma longibrachiatum

Contd..
First year - Yellowish green molds (incomplete stage) - appear - the ends of the log. Later mycelial tuft form on the barks & stroma (the complete stage) also forms.

Hypoxylon truncatum
Orange colored spore coat form under the bark.

Some barks falling off & reddish brown stroma forming.

Diatrype stigma Gills are forked near the margin of the fruit body & fruit bodies appear composed of two pairs White rotting spots and spots turning dark brown are seen underneath the barks. Schizophyllum commune

Management
Shading the logs from the direct sunlight in a sufficient manner Colonized logs should be moved to a shady place for recovery Avoid direct sunlight & ventilate well under high temperature & moderate humidity
(Park, 2002)

Uses & By products

Culinary & medicinal purposes Antitumor polysaccharides, anti virus nucleic acids Active substances that fight cholesterol Substances inhibit agglomeration of blood platelets Nutraceutic mushroom Low CHO content diabetic people High fibre content peptic ulcer & constipation Reduces blood cholesterol level.

Composition of Shiitake
100 grams Shiitake contains 39 calories 15 to 35% protein Less than 1 gram of fat 7.3 g. carbohydrate 0.8 g. crude fiber 0.8mg. thiamine 0.5mg. riboflavin 5.5mg. Niacin rich in Vitamin D2(50%) B2 and B12

Biologically Active Compounds Found in Shiitake

Compound Effect(s)
Reduces cholesterol Antivirus Antivirus Anti tumor/virus Anti tumor/virus Antitumor Antitumor

Type of Compound
adenine derivative polysaccharide double stranded RNA polysaccharide polysaccharide polysaccharide

Activity
accelerates cholesterol metabolism and execretion inhibits viral replication induces interferon production induces interferon production stimulate T-helper cells in immune system immune system modulator

Eritadenine
Ac2P Viral particles KS-2 Lentinan LAP1

GMP (Guanosine monophosphate)

reduces blood coagulation

nucleotide

inhibits platelet aggregation

(Kwon, 2001)

Anti Tumor Activity

Lentinan & rentinan - extracted from fruit bodies heads off tumor cell replication stimulating body's immune system rather than directly killing tumor cells

(Ostrom, 1989)

Other polysaccharides
KS-2 has been shown to have anti tumor activity against induced Sarcoma 180 (Fujii et al., 1978) LAP1, which suppressed liver cancers (Sugano et al., 1982).

Anti viral Activity

Curing hepatitis B & improving liver function Lentinan & KS-2 - suppress viral replication by interferon production

Lentinan - AIDS
Lentinan - used in combination with AIDS drugs to boost immune response - HIV positive people
Polysaccharide inhibits viral reproduction & helps increase resistance to Bacterial &viral infections to enhance the effects of drugs

(Kwon, 1995)