First cultivation of Agaricus flocculosipes and a novel Thai strain of A. subrufescens

Agaricus flocculosipes and A. subrufescens are edible species that belong to section Arvenses of the genus Agaricus. Agaricus subrufescens (almond mushroom) is known to produce bioactive compounds with medicinal properties, such as anti-cancer and anti-tumor activity and fruiting bodies are also edible and nutritious. Agaricus subrufescens is presently cultivated in Brazil, China, Japan, Taiwan and some European countries for use as foods and nutraceuticals. Agaricus flocculosipes is a newly described species currently known only from Thailand, Mayotte Island and China. Species of Agaricus have high potential for cultivation as many species are edible and have medicinal properties. Herein we report the first cultivation of A. flocculosipes and a Thai strain of A. subrufescens. The strains were isolated from wild sporocarps and subcultured on compost extract agar medium. Standard compost based on wheat straw and horse manure was used as the cultivation substrate. A comparative study of the cultivation of one strain of A. flocculosipes and two strains of A. subrufescens from France and Thailand was carried out with four replicates trays. The mushroom spawn was inoculated into the compost and incubated at 25 degrees C. The mycelia fully covered and grew throughout the media after incubation for two weeks. A casing layer made up of sand, peat and lime (1: 1: 1) was applied. Fruiting phase was performed at 25 degrees C and 95% humidity. The first primordia of the French and Thai strains of A. subrufescens occurred after the casing layer was added at days 12 and 24, respectively. Yields were obtained from both strains of A. subrufescens. The yield of the Thai strain (85.90 +/- 27.06 g kg(-1)) was lower than that of the French strain (178.56 +/- 68.28 g kg(-1)) in the first production cycle lasting 34 days. The first primordia of A. flocculosipes formed at day 32 after casing, and the strain produced only a few fruit bodies (1.04 +/- 0.95 g kg(-1)). Further research is needed to develop suitable agriculture wastes and regimes for growing these mushrooms and for increasing production yields so that these strains and species can be industrialized.

[1]  K. Hyde,et al.  Agaricus section Arvenses: three new species in highland subtropical Southwest China. , 2015, Fungal biology.

[2]  J. Savoie,et al.  Selected wild strains of Agaricus bisporus produce high yields of mushrooms at 25°C. , 2015, Revista iberoamericana de micologia.

[3]  K. Hyde,et al.  Discovering and Domesticating Wild Tropical Cultivatable Mushrooms , 2014 .

[4]  J. Savoie,et al.  Optimization of the cultivation conditions for mushroom production with European wild strains of Agaricus subrufescens and Brazilian cultivars. , 2014, Journal of the science of food and agriculture.

[5]  K. Hyde,et al.  Bioactive metabolites from macrofungi: ethnopharmacology, biological activities and chemistry , 2013, Fungal Diversity.

[6]  K. Hyde,et al.  Medicinal mushrooms in prevention and control of diabetes mellitus , 2012, Fungal Diversity.

[7]  S. Moukha,et al.  Agaricus subrufescens: A review. , 2012, Saudi journal of biological sciences.

[8]  K. Hyde,et al.  Medicinal mushrooms in supportive cancer therapies: an approach to anti-cancer effects and putative mechanisms of action , 2012, Fungal Diversity.

[9]  K. Hyde,et al.  Agaricus flocculosipes sp. nov., a new potentially cultivatable species from the palaeotropics , 2012, Mycoscience.

[10]  A. Farnet,et al.  PHENOTYPIC VARIABILITY IN CULTIVARS AND WILD STRAINS OF AGARICUS BRASILIENSIS AND AGARICUS SUBRUFESCENS , 2011 .

[11]  Simon Egli,et al.  Mycorrhizal mushroom diversity and productivity—an indicator of forest health? , 2011, Annals of Forest Science.

[12]  D. Royse.  Effects of fragmentation, supplementation and the addition of phase II compost to 2nd break compost on mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) yield. , 2010, Bioresource Technology.

[13]  D. Royse,et al.  Production of Agaricus bisporus on substrates pre-colonized by Scytalidium thermophilum and supplemented at casing with protein-rich supplements. , 2009, Bioresource Technology.

[14]  Xiwei Wu,et al.  White Button Mushroom (Agaricus Bisporus) Exhibits Antiproliferative and Proapoptotic Properties and Inhibits Prostate Tumor Growth in Athymic Mice , 2008, Nutrition and cancer.

[15]  R. Kerrigan,et al.  New and rare taxa in Agaricus section Bivelares (Duploannulati) , 2008, Mycologia.

[16]  L. Gori,et al.  The Medicinal Mushroom Agaricus blazei Murrill: Review of Literature and Pharmaco-Toxicological Problems , 2007, Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM.

[17]  G. Hetland,et al.  An Extract of the Mushroom Agaricus blazei Murill Administered Orally Protects Against Systemic Streptococcus pneumoniae Infection in Mice , 2005, Scandinavian journal of immunology.

[18]  R. Kerrigan.  Agaricus subrufescens, a cultivated edible and medicinal mushroom, and its synonyms. , 2005, Mycologia.

[19]  Ya-Jie Tang,et al.  Submerged cultivation of medicinal mushrooms for production of valuable bioactive metabolites. , 2004, Advances in biochemical engineering/biotechnology.

[20]  W. Martínez,et al.  CHARACTERISATION AND CULTIVATION OF WILD AGARICUS SPECIES FROM MEXICO , 2001 .

[21]  P. Kalač,et al.  A review of trace element concentrations in edible mushrooms , 2000 .

[22]  Shu-Ting Chang.  World production of cultivated edible and medicinal mushrooms in 1997 with emphasis on Lentinus edodes (Berk.) Sing. in China. , 1999 .

[23]  F. Atkins.  Guide to mushroom growing , 1974 .