Evaluation of shiitake (Lentinula edodes) strains of the culture collection of Applied Plant Research

Applied Plant Research (PPO), Mushroom Research Unit, has a unique collection of fungi that is used for research in edible mushrooms. The collection contains approximately 6600 strains representing more than 100 species. Most of the species are represented by Agaicus bisporus (button mushroom) and Pleurotus ostreatus (oyster mushroom). The high number of strains for A. bisporus in the collection is due to the focus of research on this species. That is because the Dutch mushroom industry produces almost exclusively button mushrooms (99% of all mushrooms produced in the Netherlands). The Dutch mushroom industry, however, becomes more and more interested in other mushroom species more commonly produced in other countries, especially in the Far East. Next to China, Japan and Korea, also Indonesia is producing several mushroom species not, or hardly produced in the Netherlands. One of these species is shiitake (Leninula edodes, also designated as Lentinus edodes). Especially in the last few years PPO has collected a number of strains of these species from China and Japan. The collection contains now ca. 60 different strains of shiitake. The purpose of this project was to evaluate these strains on characters that are important for the cultivation in the Netherlands and in Indonesia.