Patterns of Hericium coralloides growth with competitive fungi.

Growth and morphological patterns of cultures were examined for two strains of Hericium coralloides during competitive colonisation of different nutrient media. The nutrient chemical composition of the medium was found to play an important role in the manifestation of antagonistic potencies of cultures. On the nutrient-poor Czapek medium with cellulose, radial growth of the monoculture was very slow. However, in triple confrontation cultures, the rate of substrate colonisation increased, and a positive effect on H. coralloides growth was observed. On all the examined media, Fomes fomentarius was consistently antagonistic to H. coralloides. The less suitable the medium for H. coralloides growth, the greater inhibitory effect was observed, but only in the combination of H. coralloides and F. fomentarius. This effect was observed for both strains of Hericium. Schizophyllum commune displayed both an antagonistic and a stimulating influence on H. coralloides, depending on the medium used and the strain of Hericium. The morphology of cultures H. coralloides 2332 and 2333 on media of different compositions in dual confrontation cultures was typical of the strains, but the colony growth was mostly uneven. The obtained results will be used to reintroduce native strains of Hericium coralloides into the ecosystem of Hutsulshchyna NNP. The interrelations between different fungi should be taken into account for successful colonisation of natural substrate.