Strain of Shiitake Mushroom [Lentinula edodes (Berk.) Pegler] and Wood Species Affect the Yield of Shiitake Mushrooms

Abstract

Logs of white and red oak (Quercus spp.), black cherry [Prunus serotina (Ehrh.)], sassafras (Sassafras albidum (Nutt.) Nees), and eastern sycamore [Platanus occidentalis (L.)] were inoculated with eight strains of shiitake mushroom in 12-mm holes drilled 25 mm deep and spaced 15 cm apart down the log and 5 cm apart around the log in a staggered pattern. Logs then were placed in quonset houses covered with 80% shadecloth in Mar. 1991. The environment within these shaded houses was not modified otherwise. Harvested mushrooms were counted and weighed and biological efficiency (BE) was determined. White and red oaks produced significantly higher yields of shiitake mushrooms over the lifetime of the log than the other types of wood. Only one strain, CW25, produced significantly lower yields than the best four strains. Interactions among strains and seasons of harvest and the species and seasons of harvest were significant. The most productive mushroom strains and tree species yielded more mushrooms later in the life of the logs than the least productive strains and tree species did earlier in the life of the logs. BE attained from strain × species interactions ranged from 0% (WW70, CW25, and WR85 on sycamore) to 8.8% (WW44 on red oak) in an outdoor noncontrolled environment. The gross per cord value (at wholesale price) of shiitake harvested from white oak was $2475.00. The cost of producing one cord of shiitake is about $6.44 per log in a small-scale operation. A net return of $1509.00 per cord is realistic and includes the cost of labor.