Cordyceps militaris is widely used in China, Korea, and other Asian countries as both a traditional medicinal ingredient and an edible fungus. This study aimed to optimize the growth conditions and fruiting body production of C. militaris by investigating various culture media and physical parameters such as pH, aeration, illumination, temperature, spawn materials, and oat–sawdust-based substrate formulations. After a 7-day incubation period, oats with a pH of 6.0, under sealed and illuminated conditions at 32°C, demonstrated the most effective mycelial growth. Substrates consisting of 70% oat and 30% sawdust had the shortest incubation time of 30.5 days for fruiting body formation. The basidiospores showed a typical germination pattern where the sporidium produced a single germ tube that elongated, and branched to form monokaryotic primary mycelia. In conclusion, using oats as a substrate in the cultivation of C. militaris could reduce production costs and help protect the environment.

INTRODUCTION
MATERIALS AND METHODS
    Source of strain
    Evaluation of the mycelial growth
    Mother spawn production
    Effect of preservation on fruiting body induction
    Statistical Analyses
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
    Influence of culture media
    Influence of physical factors
    Fruiting Development and Production
    Fruiting body induction affected by preservation
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
REFERENCES

• Si Young Ha(Department of Environmental Forest Science/Institute of Agriculture and Life Science, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, 52828, Republic of Korea)
• Hyeon Cheol Kim(Department of Environmental Forest Science/Institute of Agriculture and Life Science, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, 52828, Republic of Korea)
• Woo Seok Lim(Department of Environmental Forest Science/Institute of Agriculture and Life Science, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, 52828, Republic of Korea)
• Jae-Kyung Yang(Department of Environmental Forest Science/Institute of Agriculture and Life Science, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, 52828, Republic of Korea) Corresponding author