ScienceDaily (July 1, 2008) — Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) mushrooms are good for you--and shiitake byproducts can be good for other crops.

These mushrooms contain high-molecular-weight polysaccharides (HMWP), which some studies suggest may improve human immune function. Other research indicates that the shiitake compound eritadenine may help lower cholesterol levels.

Agricultural Research Service (ARS) agronomist David Brauer has been studying shiitake production at the agency's Dale Bumpers Small Farm Research Center, Booneville, Ark. Working in collaboration with producers at the Shiitake Mushroom Center in Shirley, Ark., Brauer evaluated whether shiitakes grown on logs have higher levels of HMWP than shiitakes grown on commercial substrates.

The group inoculated logs with spores from three different shiitake varieties and compared the yield with shiitake yields grown on commercial substrates. They found that the log-grown shiitakes had HMWP levels as much as 70 percent higher than the substrate-grown shiitakes. The team also observed that shiitakes grown on red and white oak logs had higher levels of HMWP than shiitakes grown on sweet gum logs.

Logs used in shiitake production generally provide good yields for around two to three years. Larger shiitake farms may have 3,000 or more logs on the premises, and retire around 1,000 of them every year.

Not to let those used logs go to waste, Brauer’s team chipped a selection of spent logs, added urea and green grass cuttings to the chips and then composted the mixture. They found that the nitrogen levels in the resulting compost were comparable to nitrogen levels in other purchased soil amendment materials.

The researchers used the log compost to amend soil in a greenhouse spinach production system and found that the seedlings exhibited greater growth rates than seedlings cultivated in soil that had not been amended. Using recycled log compost provides another way for shiitake mushroom growers to increase their profits.

In 2004-2005, producers harvested approximately 9 million pounds of shiitake mushrooms, which sold for an average price of $3.21 per pound. Brauer’s findings lend a range of support to farmers interested in starting--or boosting profits from--log-grown shiitake production.

enlarge

Shiitake mushrooms grown on logs can have significantly higher levels of compounds that may improve human immune function than shiitakes grown on commercial substrate. (Credit: Photo by Keith Weller)

Related Stories

Shiitake Mushrooms' Secret May Benefit Earth-Friendly Fuels (Dec. 20, 2005) — Fallen logs on the forest floor make a perfect home for Shiitake mushrooms. These fungi--sold as a delicacy in the produce section of your local supermarket--thrive on the downed wood, turning it ...  > read more

New Method Shows Mushrooms A Top Source For One Antioxidant (Sep. 12, 2005) — Using a new, more sensitive-testing approach they developed for fungi, Penn State food scientists have found that mushrooms are a better natural source of the antioxidant ergothioneine than either of ...  > read more

Button Mushrooms Contain As Much Anti-oxidants As Expensive Ones (Feb. 12, 2008) — The humble white button mushroom has as much, and in some cases, more anti-oxidant properties than more expensive varieties. Although the button mushroom is the foremost cultivated edible mushroom in ...  > read more

Tough And Spongy: University Of Arkansas Researchers Uncover The Reasons For Mushroom Degradation (Sep. 8, 2000) — After a few days on the refrigerator shelf, the small, white button mushrooms from the grocery store turn brown and spongy, but when you try to cut them they seem tough as nails. University of ...  > read more

Search ScienceDaily

Surviving Heart Failure