Book Review
Genetics and Breeding of Edible Mushrooms
Chang, Buswell and Miles (Editors)
Genetics and Breeding of Edible Mushrooms is directed toward those interested in developing improved strains of edible mushroom species. It's basis is a collection of papers presented at a UNESCO regional workshop entitled "Culture Collection and Breeding of Edible Mushrooms". The workshop was help at the Chinese University of Hong Kong during July of 1991. Fifteen papers are included:
- Mushroom and Mushroom Biology. General background.
- Culture Collections. A brief summary of preservation techniques plus the philosophy behind culture collections. It includes a list of 13 suppliers.
- Biological Background for Mushroom Breeding. A detailed discussion in 28 pages on the important points of mushroom growth and behavior.
- Production of a Novel White Flammulina velitipes by Breeding. A discussion of the research and development involved in breeding the M-50 strain of enokitake. This strain was first produced in 1985.
- Physiology and The Breeding of Flammulina velutipes. Laboratory results describing the environmental needs and growth processes of the enokitake mushroom.
- Breeding for Mushroom Production in Lentinula edodes. Addresses the problem of changing productivity within given strains of shiitake over time.
- Protoplast Technology and Edible Mushrooms
- Gene Transfer in Edible Fungi Using Protoplasts
- Interspecific and Intergeneric Hybridization of Edible Mushrooms by Protoplast Fusion.
The above three articles explore various manipulations of cells of mushroom hyphae when their cell
wall has been removed. Covers releasing the protoplast via removal of the cell wall, care of the protoplast
and, primarily, protoplast fusion to create inter-strain, inter-species, and inter-genus crosses.
- Molecular Tools in Breeding Agaricus. A discussion of genetic variation in A.bisporus, the use of genetic markers and breeding.
- Multilocus Enzyme Electrophoresis for the Genetic Analysis of Edible Mushrooms.
Discusses a process for describing genetic diversity and identifying crosses. Species discussed include A. bisporus, A. campestris, shiitake, morel, oyster, and paddy straw mushrooms.
- Methods of Genetic Manipulation in Coprinus cinereus. Genetic techniques used to facilitate control of mating behavior, gene transmission, fruit body formation, and chromosome behavior.
- Application of Arbitrarily-Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction in Molecular Studies of Mushroom
Species With Emphasis on Lentinula edodes. A technique for genetic "finger printing" of mushrooms.
- A Strategy for Isolating Mushroom-Inducing Genes in Edible Basidiomycetes. How Carlene Raper
and J. Stephen Horton of the University of Vermont isolated the FRT1 gene in Schizophyllum commune. This gene regulates the behavior of other genes which lead to fruiting.
- Edible Mushrooms: Attributes and Applications. Summarizes the nutritional value of mushrooms. Lists bioconversion of organic wastes, medicinal qualities, flavourants, and floristry as possible uses of mushrooms. This paper references a Japanese study which showed that lentinan (from shiitake) in combination with the drug AZT was more effective than AZT alone in suppressing the proliferation of the AIDS virus.
This book is in a 6" X 9" typeset, hard-cover format and runs 329 pages including the index.
All articles are fully referenced.