Qualitative characteristics of the fungus Cyclocybe Aegerita Strains 2229, 2230, 2231 under industrial cultivation conditions

The “poplar” mushroom C. aegerita has fruiting bodies that are attractive for their appearance and tasty properties. It is also known that mushrooms contain unique substances, especially proteins, polysaccharides, and aromatic terpenes with enhanced nutritional and medicinal value. However, the lack of a well-founded technology of cultivation using available agriculture wastes interferes with the domestic market saturation with this mushroom. Three strains of C. aegerita from the IBK mushroom culture collection were investigated on the possibility of introducing them into the industrial culture. The vegetation cycle of strains 2230 and 2231 was found to have a duration of 42 days versus 46-64 days for the previously studied strains. The highest yield was obtained in the study for strain 2231, which yielded from 217 to 220 grams per kilogram of the substrate during three cycles of cultivation. The biological efficiency of the strains as a result of the first fructification flush was from 20,2 (2229) to 60.4 % (2231), which is in agreement with the published data of other investigators. The external appearance was described in detail and parameters of fruiting bodies of strains were analyzed, which differed from each other both by shape and size. Microclimatic conditions for the study, strains 2230 and 2231 had brown caps, whereas the formed fruiting bodies of strain 2229 were distinguished by a pleasing milky cream color. The heaviest fruiting bodies were formed in strain 2229 (7.5±0.4 g), which was an average of 2 g higher than the weight of fungi of other strains studied. The highest fruiting bodies were found in strain 2230 at a height of 91.0±1.8 mm, which also had the widest cap with a 29.5±0.9 mm diameter. The greatest diameter of the stipe, reaching an average of 10.8±0.3 mm, was observed in fruiting bodies of strain 2229. The variability of morphological characters and the tendencies in the number of fruiting bodies of a certain size in the total volume of harvested mushrooms were investigated, which can help in the design of packing and marketing measures.