Cultivation and Medicinal Value of the Red Belt Conk Mushroom Fomitopsis pinicola (Agaricomycetes).

This study examined biological characteristics, liquid fermentation, and cultivation of Fomitopsis pinicola. A single-factor test concluded that the optimal carbon and nitrogen sources for mycelial growth were soluble starch and yeast paste; the optimal culture temperature was 31°C, and the optimal pH was 6.0. The orthogonal experiment indicated that the optimal formula for mycelial culture was 25 g soluble starch, 2 g yeast extract, 1 g KH2PO4, and 1.5 g MgSO4 added to 1 L water. The optimal conditions for liquid fermentation culture consisted of the following: a loading volume 90 mL, inoculation volume 30 mL, and rotation speed 160 rpm. The optimal substrate formula for domestic culture was 20% corn cob, 30% sawdust, 20% wheat bran, 25% cotton seed shell, 3% corn meal, 1% gypsum, and 1% lime, which produced the highest yield of fruiting bodies. The results provided basic data for deep liquid fermentation culture and recommendations for the further development and utilization of F. pinicola.

Genetic Diversity and Relationships of 24 Strains of Genus Auricularia (Agaricomycetes) Assessed Using SRAP Markers.

Auricularia species are well known for their traditional edible and medicinal importance. In this study, sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) markers were used to evaluate the genetic diversity and relationships of 24 Auricularia strains obtained from different ecological regions of China. A total of 402 polymorphic loci were detected using 11 SRAP primer combinations with 100% polymorphic loci. The similarity coefficient ranged from 0.662 to 0.903, with an average of 0.73. Cluster analysis using the pair-group method using arithmetic average, based on the data from SRAP loci amplified by 11 primer pairs, showed that 24 Auricularia strains were distinguished into 4 groups with 73% similarity. The results of principal coordinate analysis were in accordance with pair-group method using arithmetic average clustering, and the first, most informative coordinate accounted for 74.38% of all the variations, which indicated a high level of genetic diversity among Auricularia strains. In general, SRAP markers provide a powerful tool to discriminate Auricularia strains and to evaluate their genetic relationships.