CULTIVATION POSSIBILITIES FOR PRODUCTION OF REISHI
GANODERMA LUCIDUM (CURT.: FR.) KARST IN HUNGARY

Short description about Petra Maszlavér's PhD Dissertation

(draft in English)

She carried out her experiments in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 in the spawn-run room and cellar of the Mushroom Division of Vegetable Crops Research Institute Co. Ltd in Kecskemét. In the first year of their research work they carried out pre-experiments under in vitro conditions in laboratory at the Department of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry and at the Department of Vegetable and Mushroom Growing, Faculty of Horticulture, Corvinus University of Budapest.

In the investigations she tried to find a substrate mix permitting the elaboration of a large scale intensive production technology for the Reishi mushroom and set herself the objective to select the strain suitable for cultivation and ensuring reliable cultivation technology. With the help of the suitable substrate and the strain ensuring reliable yields she has managed to work out a cultivation technology description in the case of the environmental parameters playing a key role in cultivation. Based on the few national and much more numerous international research results, as well as on her own research results it can be concluded that the specific values relative to the environmental parameters pertain to the GA 02 strain showing the best performance of the strains tested. These values are valid under the national conditions. In the light of the test results, when using intensive cultivation technology clearly the GA 02 is recommended for cultivation on substrate mixes containing beech sawdust. Favourable results can be achieved on smaller farms and on family farms using the GA 01 strain for cultivation also on substrate mixes containing beech sawdust. The strain designated as GLL producing very nice and decorative fruiting bodies (‘antlers’) is the most suitable for the commercial production of Reishi mushroom as an ornamental plant. The GA 06 is not recommended for cultivation as this strain is characterized by fluctuating yields and its cultivation is unreliable.

Considering the chemical composition (macro and micro element content) of Reishi, the Ca content of the fruiting body is notably high. Based on her tests, this value can be even as much as 3- 4 times greater than that of the mushrooms grown on commercial scale at present. The dry matter content of the mushroom is also considerable. The fruiting body of the mushroom is tough, unfit for consumption. The dry matter content of the fruiting body is almost 80%. This value is far greater compared to the white button mushroom or to the oyster mushroom. Reishi, besides its remarkable healing effect, is very valuable for its high dry matter content. Even at the present moment, as the mushroom is unfit for fresh consumption, a number of companies produce capsules and teas using the mushroom powder and sell the latter as food additive health product.

Publications

Vetter, J., Hajdú, Cs., Győrfi, J., Maszlavér, P., (2005): Mineral Composition of the Cultivated Mushrooms Agaricus bisporus, Pleurotus ostreatus and Lentinula edodes. Acta Alimentaria. 34 (4) 441-451. Akadémia Kiadó, Budapest

Maszlavér, P., Győrfi, J. (2003): Production trial of Pleurotus sajor-caju (saca) oyster mushroom. International Journal of Horticultural Science, 9 (1) 81-83. p.

Maszlavér, P., Dr. Kovácsné, Ferenc, K., Fehervári-Póczik, E., (2005): Possibility of modernization of Ganoderma lucidum strains substrate, International Journal of Horticultural Science, 11 (2) 55-59. p.

Balázs, S., Maszlavér, P., Ferenc, K., (2006): Mushroom production and research, Hungarian Agricultural Research, 15 (1) 4-8. p.

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