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.

Paecilomyces tenuipes (P. tenuipes) is a fungus cultivated artificially by South Korean researchers, utilizing rice bran as its substrate. The increased demand for this fungus has not been met with successful cultivation methods for fruiting body production in natural environments. Therefore, we tested the effect on the growth of P. tenuipes using a Solid media based on pests. In this results, the Solid media based on M.alternatus was effective in increasing the growth of P. tenuipes and the content of cordycepin. Moreover, we confirmed the conditions for manufacturing a Solid media based on M.alternatus for P. tenuipes growth. We suggested that the growth-promoting compounds offers valuable insights for optimizing fungal cultivation conditions, thereby enhancing productivity and contributing to a broader understanding of fungal physiology in varying nutritional environments.

Mushrooms play crucial roles as reservoirs of naturally occurring bioactive compounds. Among these, Cordyceps militaris is significant because of its well-established reputation for organoleptic excellence and positive health effects, which have led to its widespread commercialization. In contrast, the key properties of Paecilomyces variotii, an ectomycorrhizal symbiont, has received limited attention. In alignment with current research trends, the study of the mycelia and culture media of these mushrooms hold promise in identifying potential sources of valuable bioactive compounds. In the present study, we investigated C. militaris and P. variotii for their phenolic acids and sterols, assessing antioxidant capacity, anti-inflammatory effects, and anti-proliferative activity. Interestingly, P. variotii mycelia exhibited higher concentrations of ergosterol and phenolic compounds, with comparable levels observed in the fruiting bodies, along with superior antioxidant activity compared to that of C. militaris. In contrast, C. militaris mycelia demonstrated anti-inflammatory effects (which were absent in P. variotii mycelia) and cytotoxicity comparable to, and at times exceeding, that of its fruiting bodies (in contrast to P. variotii). In addition, the species analyzed in this study displayed variations in growth rates and mycelial production, which merit consideration for potential future applications and further study.

The characteristics and spore production of Gonji7ho, Bunhong, and Sunjung fruiting bodies were assessed at different growth stages. The shape of the Pleurotus species fruiting body starts out short and small, then takes on a typical mushroom shape as it grows. Gonji7ho has a long stalk, Bunhong has a short stalk and a wide cap, and Sunjung's cap and stalk dimensions are intermediate. Each variety displayed deep color at the beginning of growth but became steadily lighter with continued growth. The shape of the linkage between the mushroom stalk and cap changed from an initial central position to a lateral position after the growing stage. Gonji7ho cap diameter increased 7-fold from 15.5 mm (5 days of growth) to 37.9 mm (9 days of growth). Growth rates for each growth day measured using the growth percentage of the previous day were 285.5% (5 → 6th day), 182.2% (6 → 7th day), 129.4% (7 → 8th day), and 103.8% (8 → 9th day). This trend was also observed in Bunhong and Sunjung, but Bunhong’s growth rate was more rapid (4.9 fold on day 6, 2.7 fold on day 7) and continued to increase through day 9. Harvest yield, which is of greatest interest to farmers, displayed a similar trend spanning the growth period, as did cap diameter. Gonji7ho harvest yield increased rapidly until day 7 of growth (more than 177%), then growth slowed down beginning around day 8, and further decreased on day 9 (98%). Similar trends were observed in Bunhong and Sunjung. Bunhong showed characteristic rapid growth in harvest yield (4.9 fold compared to the previous day on day 6 and 2.7 fold on day 7), and the increase continued through day 9. A decrease in mushroom harvest yield commonly seen in the late growth stage is thought to be due to the death of some mushrooms and decomposition of cap tissue. Basidiospore content increased with number of growth days but decreased after day 8. Gonji7ho yielded the highest production on day 7 of growth, coinciding with harvest time, with 209,000,000 spores. This trend was also observed in Bunhong and Sunjung. These results will provide researchers with basal data and guide farmers in selecting the optimal harvest day.

Lyophyllum decastes has been used for culinary purpose. The present study was conducted to evaluate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects from methanol, acetone, and hot water extracts of L. decastes fruiting bodies. The acetone and methanol extracts showed the higher 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazy radical scavenging activities than that of the hot water extract at 0.5–2.0 mg/mL and was comparable to the BHT, the positive control. The ferrous ion chelating effects of the mushroom extracts at 0.5–2.0 mg/mL were significantly higher than that of BHT. The reducing power of acetone extract (2.12) was significantly lower than that of BHT (2.73) at 2.0 mg/ mL. The mushroom extracts also showed inhibitory effects on production of nitric oxide (NO), and expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in lipopolysaccharide-induced murine macrophage cells in a concentration dependent manner. In vivo anti-inflammatory experiment on carrageenan-induced hind-paw edema of rat model, the acetone extract of the mushroom significantly suppressed the carrageenan-induced rat hind paw edema of rats in a dose dependently. The results suggest that the fruiting bodies of Lyophyllum decastes are a good natural resource of antioxidant and anti-inflammation.

The effects of punching treatment on mycelial culture and fruiting body productivity were investigated in a new Lentinula edodes cultivar, “Jadam”, in sawdust medium for the stable production of oak mushroom. As the punching volume and number increased, the weight loss rate and color difference increased and the L value decreased. After spawn inoculation, the sawdust medium temperature and CO2 concentration reached their highest values at 33 and 19 days of incubation, respectively. The O2 concentration showed the lowest value on the 14th day of incubation, which was the opposite pattern to the CO2 concentration. As the punching volume and the number increased, the medium temperature and O2 concentration increased, and the CO2 concentration decreased. Higher punching volumes and numbers resulted in higher temperatures and lower CO2 concentrations. The best fruiting body yield was 5 × 70 mm - 30 (punching diameter × depth - number), and the total yield after three cycles was 644.7 g.

This study was conducted to apply with an air duct for the cooling and a utilizing cultivating method that uses the fruiting node and the defoliation to the high-temperature vertical and hydroponic cultivation of the oriental melon. The lower fruiting node (LF) was to remove all third vines generated from 5 nodes of a secondary vine. The higher fruiting node (HF) was fruiting on the third vine generated from a first node of the third vine. The direction of the stem string; upward (UW), downward (DW). Four treatment conditions were applied with the LF-UW, LF-DW, HF-UW (control), and HF-DW. The leaf age of melon leaves was measured for photosynthesis at 3 days intervals, and the fruit characteristic was conducted on 79 fruits in each treatment. The photosynthesis rate steadily increased after leaf development, reaching 20.8 μmol CO2·m-2·s-1 on the 10 days, gradually increasing to 21.3 μmol CO2·m-2·s-1 on the 19 days, and reaching 23.4 μmol CO2·m-2·s-1 on the 32 days. After that, it lowered to 16.8 μmol CO2·m-2·s-1 on the 38 days and dropped significantly to 7.6 μmol CO2·m-2·s-1 on the 47 days. As a result of the fruit characteristics by fruiting nodes, the treatments of the fruit length was 12.6-13.4 cm, respectively, which was significant, and the fruit width was 7.9- 8.6 cm, respectively, was not significant. The soluble content ranged from 12.9 to 15.7°Brix, and the significance of all treatments, and higher than of LF-DW and HF-UW. The photosynthesis rate of melon leaves was good until 32 days after leaf development, but after that, the rate decreased. As for fruit quality, it was conformed that melons can be cultivated at the LF because the fruit enlargement and soluble content dose not decrease even when set at the LF. Results indicated that those can be used for LF and defoliation in the development of vertical and hydroponic cultivation method in high-temperature season.

To investigate the effect of thinning intensity on environmental factors and ectomycorrhizal mushroom fruiting in forest ecosystems, we studied canopy closure, throughfall, soil temperature, soil moisture, light response of understory vegetation, and ectomycorrhizal mushroom fruiting in a 10-year-old pine forest after 34%, 45%, and 60% thinning. Canopy closure was significantly higher in the 34% treatment and control plots, ranging from 80–85% in April. However, in November, all thinning treatment plots showed a decrease of approximately 5–10% compared with the control plot. The 60% treatment plot had over 200 mm of additional throughfall compared with the control plot, and monthly throughfall was significantly higher by more than 100 mm in October. The soil temperature in each treatment plot increased significantly by up to 1°C or more compared with the control plot as the thinning rate increased. The soil moisture increased by more than 5% in the thinning treatment plots during rainfall, particularly in the 34% treatment plot, where the rate of moisture decrease was slower. The photosynthetic rate of major tree species (excluding Pinus densiflora)was highest in Quercus mongolica, with a rate of 7 μmolCO2·m-2·s-1. At a lightintensity of 800 μmol·m-2·s-1, Q. mongolica showed the highest photosynthetic level of 6 ± 0.3 μmolCO2·m-2·s-1 in the 45% treatment. The photosynthetic rate of Fraxinus sieboldiana and Styrax japonicus increased as the thinning intensity increased. The Shannon– Wiener index of mycorrhizal mushrooms did not significantly differ among treatments, but the fresh weight of mushrooms was approximately 360–840 g higher in the 34% and 45% treatments than in the control. Additionally, the fresh weight of fungi in the 60% treatment was 860 g less than that in the control. There were more individuals of Amanita citrina in the control than in the thinning treatment, while Suillus bovinus numbers increased by more than 10 times in the 34% thinning treatment compared with the control.

The present study aimed at selecting a cost-effective substrate for king oyster mushroom based on the growth characteristics of fruiting body for use as a basic resource to ensure stable production on farms. Compositional analysis of substrates manufactured with different materials in each process revealed that the total carbon content was 42.24–48.22% higher and the total nitrogen content was 1.7–2.29% higher in the processed lot than in the control (i.e., substrate used by the farmhouse; 40.86% and 1.39%, respectively). Meanwhile, the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio was the highest in the control (27.9% vs. 19.12–27.88% in the processed lot). When cultured for 28 days, the mycelium growth was 11.5 and 11.3 mm in substrates 1 and 6, respectively, indicating the fastest growth; meanwhile, the values were 10.1–10.3 mm in the control and substrate 11, showing a similar tendency. Mycelial density did not differ significantly among the processed lots. Yield per bottle was higher in substrates 8 (205.95 g/bottle), 7 (178.51 g/bottle), and 11 (170.63 g/bottle) than in the control (152.2 g/bottle). Fruiting body quality was comparable to controls in all processed lots. Overall, economic effects, such as substrate material prices, should be analyzed, and stability evaluations, such as residual pesticide and harmful microorganisms, should be undertaken along with further detailed examination to ensure safe and stable production on farms.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impacts of cane-based fruiting position on fruit quality at harvest in a golden-flesh kiwifruit variety, ‘Sweet Gold’ (Actinidia chinensis var. chinensis). The vines were grown on a pergola-trained system, under a protected plastic film house in Jeju, Korea. The cane-based fruiting positions were classified into six sectors with three sectors acropetally from the trunk to the apex of the leader, and two sectors acropetally from the leader to the apex of the cane. Fruits positioned in sectors far away from the trunk (sectors three and six) tended to be heavier, whereas fruits in sectors close to the trunk (sectors one and four) exhibited higher dry matter, soluble solid contents, and flesh coloration. The highest firmness was obtained at the fruits positioned far from the trunk and leader (sector six). Titratable acidity was slightly impacted. The highest starch content was obtained from the fruits of sector six far from the trunk and leader, whereas the highest soluble sugar content was from sector one proximal to the trunk and leader. Results indicate appreciable variations in fruit quality parameters at harvest, among fruits at different fruiting positions within vines. However, these variations were inconsistent over the years, and there were no distinct correlations among these fruit quality parameters.

This study was conducted to establish an appropriate period of use of sawdust spawn at low temperatures and a nutrient supplement medium for cultivation of Lentinula edodes ‘Hwadam’. Of the nutrient supplements, the total yield of rice bran (5%) + corn flour (5%) treatments were 673.3 g, which was higher than rice bran (551.6 g) and wheat bran (546.7 g) treatments, respectively. As shown by the growth of Lentinula edodes ‘hwadam' during to the sawdust spawn storage period (at 4oC), the period of spawn running, browning, fruiting body formation, and development was 27 d, 81 d, 5 d, and 11-13 d, respectively, regardless of the length of the storage period at 4 oC. After 3 months of storage of sawdust spawn, the number of fruiting bodies and yield decreased as the storage period increased. Therefore, the period of use of sawdust spawn (at 4 oC) for the stable production of fruiting bodies of Lentinula edodes ‘Hwadam’ was a maximum of 3 months.