Environmental Factors Affecting Mushrooms

Light

The reactions fungi to visible and UV light are of three main types : inductive, inhibitive
and trophic (Cochrane, 1958). Inductive effects include both absolute light requirements
of initiation or maturation of reproductive structures and quantities responses, such as
increase in the number of reproductive structures upon illumination .

Light is essential for the formation and maturation of reproductive structures in many
species of wood rooting basidiomycetes (Kitamoto et al.,1972;Perkins and Gordon
1969). In addition the quality and quantity of light are important consideration in the
formation and maturation processes (Eger, 1978) It is there fore important that the
duration of light and its intensity are considered for individual species and, in the case of
Pleurotus ostreatus, the line or strain within a species (Eger,1978). Lines of P.ostreatus
have been shown to differ in their minimum and optimal requirements (Eger at el , 1974 )

The inhibitory effects of lights on fruit body initiation have been demonstrated for
shiitake (Ishikawa,1967). In an experiment designed to determine the effect of light
exposure during spawn run and fruit body initiation ,Ishikawo (1967) Exposed cultures to
continuous light at 4 light intensities (50,100,500,1000, lux) For 5 exposure periods (0 ,
10,30 ,60,80 days). He found an apparent interaction between light intensity and exposure
period. For example, over 2.8 times as many mushrooms were produced by cultures
exposed for 80 days to 1000 lux> Thus, exposure to light greater than 50 lux during
spawn run may inhibit primordial formation . Unfortunately , Ishikawo (1967 ) did not
provide statistical analysis of his data and it is , therefore impossible to determine the
degree of variation associated with this observed interaction.

Phototrophic response are common in fungi; an example is seen in Pleurotus species .

positive phototropism in Pleurotus species was observed by Block et al .( 1959) and
Gyurko (1972). A light intensity of 10 lux is sufficient to induce the response
(Zadrazil,1978). San Antonio and Fordyce (1972) showed that at list 15 minutes of full
sunlight were required for fruit body initiation of Volvariella volvacea; fruiting body
initiation was not observed in any of their dark controls. Chang and Yau (1970) obtained
fruiting under a 12 hr light: 12 hr dark cycle and under continual light an intensity of 500
lux was found to be optimum; the require for fruit body initiation was not photoperiodic .
As a general rule, sufficient light for fruit initiation and maturation in most shiitake and
P leurotus species is provided by “cool white” fluorescent bulbs for 2-4hr /day.
Sufficient light is usually provided during normal picking hours..

LIGHT REQUIREMENTS FOR SOME EDIBLE FUNGI TYPES

FUNGUS INDUCTIVE INDUCTIVE INHIBITORY TROPHIC
INITIATION MATURATION
A. BISPORUS NO NO NO NO
F. VELUTIPES NO YES -------- -------
L. EDODES NO YES YES NO
P. NAMEKO YES YES ------- -------
P. YES YES ------- YES
OESTREATUS
V. VOLVACEA NO NO NO NO

Temperature

Few generalizations can be made regarding temperature and vegetative growth and
fruitification in edible fungi. Each species has its own optima for fruitification which
may or may not coincide with the that of the vegetative growth. Of the 12 species with
low and high temperature optima, A. bitorquis, F. velutipes, L. edodes, P. ostreatus, ,,
P.florida and P.nameko have lower optima for fruitification temperatures ranges than that
for the vegetative phases. If individual lines within a species with were considered, the
number of species with lower optimum fruitification temperatures would increase
considerably.. Thus, in general, optimum fruitification temperatures for most are lower
than the optimum for the vegetative growth temperature.
The optimum temperature for fruitification of a given species may be either close to the
vegetative growth optimum, as in the V. volvacea and Tremella fuciformis, or
considerably lower as in Flammulina velutipes, P.nameko and in some Pleurotus
ostreatus lines.

LOW AND HIGHTEMPERATURE OPTIMA OF SOME EDIBLE FUNGI

.
FUNGUS OPTIMUM RANGE OC REFERENCE
VEGETATIVE FRUITIFICATION
A. bitorquis 30 25 Vedder,1978
Auricularia spp 20-34 12-30 Cheng & Tu, 1978
F. velutipes 22-25 8-15 Kinugawa &
Ffuruka, 1965
L .edodes 22-27 15-20 Ishikawa, 1967
P. nameko 24-26 5-20 Arita, 1978
P. eryngii 20-30 20-22 Cailleux, 1974
P. fabellatus 25-30 22-26 Bano , 1967
P. florida 30 25 Zadrzil, 1978,
Rajarathnam &
Bano
P.sajor-caju 25-32 25 Jandaik Ksapoor,
1976
T.fuciformis 20-25 20-27 Chen & Hou, 1978
V. volvacea

Morphological effects of temperature are easily observed , for example, the stipes of
L.edodes and P. nameko may elongate and the pileus diameter may be reduced at
temperatures above 16oC . In F. velutipes, production of fruit bodies at optimum
vegetative growth temperature 22-25oC RESULTS in smaller and slender mushrooms.
The production of mushroom near their optimum temperature range should therefore
contribute to a maximum quality product..

WATER RELATIONS

Some fungi have specific substrate moisture optima that may depend , to some extent,
on the type of substrate used. For example, a moisture content of 55-68 % is reported
as being optimal for nutrient –supplemented sawdust used to produce L. edodes . In
contrast , an optimum moisture content of 70% was reported by Akiyama , 1976 for
spawn runoff L.edodes on natural logs. The optimum moisture content of traditional
rice paddy straw substrate used to produce V.volvacea should be in the range of 65-
70% , while that of cotton waste substrate should be 70%.. For the production of
shiitake mushroom, the optimum moisture content of both natural logs is critical for
maximum mushroom production. For example, both natural log and synthetic log
growers soak logs in water for 24-48hrs . Natural logs growers frequently soak the
logs to induce the first flushes of mushrooms. On the other hand , synthetic log
growers only soak only for the second and later flushes because sufficient water is
present in the substrate to support the first flush of mushrooms. Thus proper water
management at the appropriate point in the crop cycle is crucial to the production of a
high quality product.

CARBON DIOXIDE
The effect of CO2 the physiology of edible fungi may be substantial .The most widely
investigated species is A. bisporus. The finding on the species may be related to other
edible fungi.. Carbon dioxide levels as low as 0,1% may cause a delay in sporophore
formation and reduction in sporophore initials in Agaricus. In shiitake restricting aeration
by capping cultures with polypropylene membranes did not prevent the formation of
buried primordial or exudation but reduced and delayed the number of primodia formed.
Oxygen concentration above the colonies gradually decrease from 20.9%v/v over a 40
day period of incubation. It is assumed that carbon dioxide increases as the oxygen levels
decreases , but since the carbon dioxide was not measured , it is difficult to estimate the
threshold levels for primodia formation..
Other effects of elevated levels of carbon dioxide are on stipes elongation and pileus
expansion. In Agaricus bisporus , there is increased stipe growth at carbon dioxide
levels above 1% . In F.velutipes the pileus diameter decreases with increase in
concentration of 0.06- 4.9%, stipe elongation is less sensitive to carbon dioxide than
pileus expansion and both stipe elongation and pileus expansion are prevented by
high concentration of carbon dioxide. Inhibitation of pileus growth by elevated
carbon dioxide is limited to expansion phase of pileus development