• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.188-195
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• 2017

Despite the high commercial value of the pine mushroom (Tricholoma matsutake) around the world, its production still depends upon natural harvesting. In recent years, mushroom researchers in Korea and Japan have been successful in artificially cultivating T. matsutake by producing single mushroom through matsutake-infected pine seedlings. In this study, we determined the minimum seedling height required for the survival of matsutake mycelia in the infected pine seedlings in the field. The survival rate of matsutake mycelia in the matsutake-infected pine seedlings was 50% (14) in two years and 71% (10) in one year after their transplantation. The average height at time of transplantation of the matsutake-infected pine seedlings that bore surviving mycelia after transplantation was 25 cm (minimum 12 cm to maximum 40 cm). In conclusion, the matsutake mycelium of matsutake-infected pine seedlings was able to survive in field conditions if the height of the seedling at the time of T. matsutake infection was at least 12 cm. These results suggest that the height of the host plants used in conventional matsutake-infected pine seedling production should be greatly reduced to improve the matsutake cultivation. Therefore, standardization of the seedling height for artificial cultivation of pine mushrooms by the matsutake-infected pine seedling method is suggested.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.113 no.3
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• pp.282-291
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• 2024

In Korea, pine forests are continuously declining as they mature. Along with vegetation succession, mushroom succession also occurs. The productivity of pine mushroom, a mycorrhizal species that was introduced as a source of short-term forest income in the late 20th century, is also declining. Although the forest fires was originally blamed as the main cause of pine forests decline, it has not been identified as a significant factor in the decline of pine mushroom productivity. Pine mushrooms are mainly produced in pine-dominant stands ranging in age classes from 3 to 8, with the highest productivity occurring between 4 and 6 classes. Accordingly, the aging of pine forests and their succession to mixed forests were evaluated as the most important factors contributing to the decrease in pine mushroom productivity. Since tending practices in pine mushroom-producing forests contribute to maintaining and increasing the productivity of pine mushrooms in mature pine forests, production can be sustained through proactive forest/soil management. In recent years, attempts have been made to cultivate pine mushrooms. The method of producing a mycorrhizae-infected pine tree by planting a pine in front of a fairy ring of Tricholoma matsutake and then transplanting it to create a new pine mushroom-producing stand has been successful. However, the method may cause damage to the fairy ring and has difficulties to preserve the viability of mycorrhizal fungus during transplantation. Mycorrhizae-inoculated seedling production is proposed as an alternative technology, but difficulties remain in keeping the fungus in the seedling during transplantation. Research on the microbiome of the fairy ring of T. matsutake is being conducted to solve this problem. Bacteria and fungi that contribute to the mycelial growth of T. matsutake have been discovered. It is expected that the era of industrial cultivation of pine mushroom will soon be possible through a microbial ecological approach.