A Detailed Guide to the Classification of Common Edible Mushroom Spawn Types and High-Yield Cultivation Techniques
China has a long history of cultivating edible mushrooms. Before 1949, mainly two species, shiitake (Lentinula edodes) and wood ear (Auricularia heimuer), were cultivated using traditional log cultivation methods. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the cultivated volume of the button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) increased year by year. In the 1970s, the main cultivated species increased to 10 (oyster mushroom, straw mushroom, nameko, enoki mushroom, silver ear, hairy wood ear, lion's mane), and in the 1980s it increased again to 14 (adding maitake, golden ear, poria, and Armillaria mellea associated with Gastrodia). In the 1990s it increased to 44, and currently the edible mushrooms cultivated on a commercial scale include Agaricus bisporus, Agaricus blazei, Agaricus bitorquis, Agaricus edulis, shiitake, Pleurotus ostreatus, Pleurotus florida, Pleurotus pulmonarius, Pleurotus cornucopiae, Pleurotus citrinopileatus, Pleurotus abalonus, Pleurotus cystidiosus, king oyster mushroom, Pleurotus nebrodensis, Pleurotus djamor, Hohenbuehelia serotina, wood ear, hairy wood ear, enoki mushroom, nameko, Pholiota adiposa, straw mushroom, lion's mane, Agrocybe cylindracea, shaggy ink cap, maitake, Oudemansiella radicata, Stropharia rugosoannulata, silver ear, golden ear, Cordyceps militaris, reishi, Ganoderma sinense, Ganoderma applanatum, Ganoderma tsugae, poria, Polyporus umbellatus, Armillaria mellea (associated with Gastrodia), Hypsizygus marmoreus, Phallus indusiatus, Dictyophora duplicata, Tricholoma lobayense, Fistulina hepatica, and Tricholoma portentosum, among which 31 species are cultivated on a large commercial scale.
Looking at the species and varieties cultivated on a commercial scale, in recent years the species cultivated on a commercial scale include Agaricus bisporus, Agaricus blazei, Agaricus bitorquis, Agaricus edulis, shiitake, Pleurotus ostreatus, Pleurotus florida, Pleurotus pulmonarius, Pleurotus cornucopiae, Pleurotus citrinopileatus, king oyster mushroom, Pleurotus nebrodensis, wood ear, hairy wood ear, enoki mushroom, nameko, straw mushroom, lion's mane, Agrocybe cylindracea, shaggy ink cap, maitake, silver ear, reishi, Ganoderma sinense, Ganoderma applanatum, Ganoderma tsugae, poria, Armillaria mellea associated with Gastrodia, Hypsizygus marmoreus, Phallus indusiatus, Dictyophora duplicata, and others. Within these cultivated species there is abundant varietal diversity for growers to choose from according to market needs. These diverse cultivated species and varieties ensure year-round cultivation and sustainable development of edible mushrooms under China's agricultural production methods.
Agaricus bisporus has two major categories: fresh-market varieties and canning varieties. Shiitake can be divided according to suitable substrate into log varieties and substitute-substrate varieties; according to the earliness or lateness of fruiting into early-fruiting varieties and late-fruiting varieties; according to the suitable commercial product form into fresh-market varieties and drying varieties; according to fruiting temperature into low-temperature (5-15°C) varieties, medium-temperature (10-15°C) varieties, high-temperature (15-25°C) varieties and wide-temperature (10-28°C) varieties; and according to fruit body size into large-cap varieties, medium-cap varieties and small-cap varieties.
Oyster mushroom can be divided according to fruiting temperature into high-temperature varieties, medium-temperature varieties and low-temperature varieties; according to fruit body color into gray varieties and white varieties; and according to spore release into low-spore varieties, late-spore-release varieties and non-spore varieties.
Wood ear can be divided according to the different ways the fruit bodies are attached into single-sheet varieties and chrysanthemum-shaped varieties; and according to color into black varieties and brown varieties.
Hairy wood ear can be divided according to the different colors of the fruit bodies into three major categories: yellow-backed wood ear, white-backed wood ear and purple wood ear.
Enoki mushroom can be divided according to fruit body color into three major categories: yellow varieties, light-colored varieties and white varieties.
Nameko can be divided according to the earliness or lateness of fruit body formation into very early-fruiting varieties, early-fruiting varieties, medium-fruiting varieties and late-fruiting varieties.
Straw mushroom can be divided according to fruit body size into three categories: large, medium and small.
King oyster mushroom and Pleurotus nebrodensis can be divided according to fruiting temperature into high-temperature varieties and low-temperature varieties; and according to fruit body morphology into columnar varieties and bowling-pin-shaped varieties.
Pleurotus nebrodensis can be divided according to fruit body morphology into palm-shaped varieties and horse-hoof-shaped varieties. (Source: China Encyclopedia Network)