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Agaricus subrufescens, also known as the “mushroom of the sun,” has significant nutritional and medicinal value. However, its short shelf life due to the browning process results in post-harvest losses unless it’s quickly dehydrated. This... more
Agaricus subrufescens, also known as the “mushroom of the sun,” has significant nutritional and medicinal value. However, its short shelf life due to the browning process results in post-harvest losses unless it’s quickly dehydrated. This restricts its availability to consumers in the form of capsules. A genome sequence of A. subrufescens may lead to new cultivation alternatives or the application of gene editing strategies to delay the browning process. We assembled a chromosome-scale genome using a hybrid approach combining Illumina and Nanopore sequencing. The genome was assembled into 13 chromosomes and 31 unplaced scaffolds, totalling 44.5 Mb with 96.5% completeness and 47.24% GC content. 14,332 protein-coding genes were identified, with 64.6% of the genome covered by genes and 23.41% transposable elements. The mitogenome was circularized and encoded fourteen typical mitochondrial genes. Four PPO genes and the Mating-type locus were identified. Phylogenomic analysis supports th...
Organic agricultural waste is successfully used in the production of mushrooms as it promotes the reuse of resources and increases food production. For the formulation of the substrate for Pleurotus spp. production, the availability of... more
Organic agricultural waste is successfully used in the production of mushrooms as it promotes the reuse of resources and increases food production. For the formulation of the substrate for Pleurotus spp. production, the availability of nutrients must be rigorously analyzed to assess whether supplementation is necessary. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the agronomic behavior of Pleurotus ostreatus var. Florida when grown on different straws and to analyze nutrient dynamics at the beginning and end of cultivation. Straws of rice, wheat and brachiaria were used as substrates without any supplementation. The yields, biological efficiency, number and weights of mushrooms were evaluated in two crop cycles. Rice straw provided a higher yield, better biological efficiency and a greater number of mushrooms in both cultures. Wheat straw showed intermediate results for the same variables. None of the substrates showed a significant difference for mushroom weight. In the first crop, only ...
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In the present work, the effect of the cultivation process, in the field and under a controlled environment, on biochemical parameters by using commercial strains of A. subrufescens were evaluated. The results obtained revealed that the... more
In the present work, the effect of the cultivation process, in the field and under a controlled environment, on biochemical parameters by using commercial strains of A. subrufescens were evaluated. The results obtained revealed that the strains cultivated in the field presented higher levels for most of the parameters evaluated (organic acids (20.5–48.0 g/100 g dw), tocopherols (107.0–198.6 µg/100 g dw), and phenolic acids and related compounds (245.2–359.0 µg/100 g dw and 10.6–23.7 µg/100 g dw, respectively)), except for the carbohydrates (53.4–72.6 g/100 g dw), energetic value (373–380 Kcal/100 g dw), and total free sugars (28.8–43.1 g/100 g dw), parameters in which the strains grown in a controlled environment present better results. For both cultivation systems, similar results were obtained regarding saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acids, as well as antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. These data contribute to the knowledge and highlight the character...
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Mushrooms are capable of bioconverting organic residues into food. Understanding the relationship between high-quality yields and substrate biomass from these residues is critical for mushroom farms when choosing new strains. The... more
Mushrooms are capable of bioconverting organic residues into food. Understanding the relationship between high-quality yields and substrate biomass from these residues is critical for mushroom farms when choosing new strains. The objective of this exploratory study was, therefore, to analyze whether exotic mushrooms, namely, Pleurotus eryngii, Flammulina velutipes, and Agrocybe aegerita, could biologically convert the substrate into edible mushrooms as effectively as Lentinula edodes (baseline). Five experiments were carried out. Biological efficiency, biodegradability coefficient, mass balance and chemical characterization of the substrate were evaluated. Strategically hydrating the sawdust enabled L. edodes to achieve the greatest biodegradability and biological efficiency of 0.5 and 94.2 kg dt−1, respectively. The values for L. edodes on wheat straw without hydration were 0.2 and 68.8 kg dt−1, respectively. From 1000 kg of fresh substrate, P. eryngii produced 150.1 kg of edible m...
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It is well-known that bacteria and fungi play important roles in the relationships between mycelium growth and the formation of fruiting bodies. The sun mushroom, Agaricus subrufescens, was discovered in Brazil ca. 1960 and it has become... more
It is well-known that bacteria and fungi play important roles in the relationships between mycelium growth and the formation of fruiting bodies. The sun mushroom, Agaricus subrufescens, was discovered in Brazil ca. 1960 and it has become known worldwide due to its medicinal and nutritional properties. This work evaluated the bacterial community present in mushroom-colonized compost extract (MCCE) prepared from cultivation of A. subrufescens, its dynamics with two different soaking times and the influence of the application of those extracts on the casing layer of a new compost block for A. subrufescens cultivation. MCCEs were prepared through initial submersion of the colonized compost for 1 h or 24 h in water followed by application on casing under semi-controlled conditions. Full-length 16S rRNA genes of 1 h and 24 h soaked MCCE were amplified and sequenced using nanopore technology. Proteobacteria, followed by Firmicutes and Planctomycetes, were found to be the most abundant phyl...
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This study was conducted with the objective of evaluating the growth of six strains of Lentinula edodes (LE1, LE2, LE3, LE4, LE5 and LE6) in five culture media and characterizes strains for enzyme production. The culture medium that... more
This study was conducted with the objective of evaluating the growth of six strains of Lentinula edodes (LE1, LE2, LE3, LE4, LE5 and LE6) in five culture media and characterizes strains for enzyme production. The culture medium that provided the best mycelial growth of the strains was used for semi-quantitative tests of ligninase and cellulase activity. Samples for enzyme assays and determination of total proteins were collected at 7, 14, 21 and 28 days of incubation to building an enzymatic curve. The strain LE5 is the most aggressive, with higher mycelial growth rate and mycelial mass production in the basic medium added of 0.01% yeast extract. The addition of biotin and thiamine to the culture medium is not sufficient to substitute yeast extract. The performance of the strains with respect to the production of cellulase and ligninase was different. The LE6 strain excelled in the production of laccase, manganese peroxidase and β-glucosidase with 28 days of incubation and endo-β-1,...
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Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Departamento de Protecao Vegetal, Faculdade de Ciencias Agronomicas de Botucatu
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This work aimed to assess the influence of olive maturity and oil season on the potential quality of monovarietal virgin olive oils from the area assigned to the Protected Designation of Origin of “Aceite de la Alcarria” (Spain),... more
This work aimed to assess the influence of olive maturity and oil season on the potential quality of monovarietal virgin olive oils from the area assigned to the Protected Designation of Origin of “Aceite de la Alcarria” (Spain), analysing the regulated physicochemical quality and sensory parameters, the stability parameters and composition of fatty acids, sterols and triterpenic dialcohols. To complete the study, we also characterised the coupage olive oils made in the oil mills located in the PDO area (real quality). The main variety grown in La Alcarria is Castellana, whose oils are characterised by a high content of palmitic acid (14.27% with olives in veraison, 13.81% with ripe olives), a low content of linoleic acid (5.03% with olives in veraison, 5.98% with ripe olives) and a total phenol content higher than the rest of varieties grown in the area (between 350 and 500 mg of caffeic acid/kg depending on the season considered), which is reflected in higher oxidative stability v...
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Agaricus subrufescens has emerged as an important culinary-medicinal mushroom over the last decades. Efforts have been dedicated to upgrade the A. subrufescens productive process via strain selection and cultivation scaling-up. However,... more
Agaricus subrufescens has emerged as an important culinary-medicinal mushroom over the last decades. Efforts have been dedicated to upgrade the A. subrufescens productive process via strain selection and cultivation scaling-up. However, little is known on the influence of those variables on the metabolite profiles and nutraceutical properties of this mushroom. In this work, the effects of outdoor versus indoor cultivation on the metabolite profiles of five commercial strains of A. subrufescens were investigated by untargeted metabolomics. UHPLC-MS coupled to multivariate data analysis revealed that the concentration of several metabolites with reported health-related properties as well as related to taste and browning varied significantly between strains and were affected by the cultivation system in a strain-dependent manner. Data suggest that increasing the production scale by means of indoor cultivation may decrease the nutraceutical quality of some A. subrufescens strains while also affecting taste and browning susceptibility to different extents.
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Supplementation of the substrate of mushrooms with calcium silicate and other minerals is usually used as a preventive measure against pests and other contaminants during the production of oyster mushrooms. Little is known of the effects... more
Supplementation of the substrate of mushrooms with calcium silicate and other minerals is usually used as a preventive measure against pests and other contaminants during the production of oyster mushrooms. Little is known of the effects of this supplementation on the quality of the mushrooms produced. In the work described herein, the supplementation of oyster mushrooms was performed with 5 supplementation levels (0%, 0.5%, 1%, 2% and 4%) on mushrooms from two different locations in Brazil, the two flushes of mushrooms produced were analysed in terms of phenolic compounds, organic acids, and the antioxidant, antibacterial and antifungal activities, and finally the data was subjected to a linear discriminant analysis to understand the discrimination of the supplementation percentages. Overall, intermediate supplementation until 1% seemed to have a positive effect on the mushrooms from Mogi-das-Cruzes region, while high supplementation favoured the mushrooms from the region of Presid...
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Aim of the study: To evaluate agronomical features demanded by the sun mushroom (Agaricus subrufescens) in order to optimise the commercial cultivation of this worldwide demanded medicinal mushroom.Area of study: The study was carried out... more
Aim of the study: To evaluate agronomical features demanded by the sun mushroom (Agaricus subrufescens) in order to optimise the commercial cultivation of this worldwide demanded medicinal mushroom.Area of study: The study was carried out in Castilla-La Mancha (Spain), the second most productive region of cultivated mushrooms in Spain.Material and methods: In this work we summarise the results obtained while evaluating the performance of sun mushroom crops (A. subrufescens). Two agronomical traits have been evaluated, the effect on the productive outputs of applying five different compost filling rates of high N substrate (yield and BE of the compost), and the influence of implementing two different conditions for the induction to fructification on the analytical properties of the harvested mushrooms. Besides, two commercial compost formulations (CM and VC) obtained from local providers have been used.Main results: The number of sporophores harvested and the yield per unit area incr...
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Mushroom supplementation is an agronomic process which consists of the application of nutritional amendments to the substrates employed for mushroom cultivation. Different nitrogen and carbohydrate rich supplements have been evaluated in... more
Mushroom supplementation is an agronomic process which consists of the application of nutritional amendments to the substrates employed for mushroom cultivation. Different nitrogen and carbohydrate rich supplements have been evaluated in crops with a substantial impact on mushroom yield and quality; however, there is still controversy regarding the nutritional requirements of mushrooms and the necessity for the development of new commercial additives. The addition of external nutrients increases the productivity of some low-yielding mushroom varieties, and therefore is a useful tool for the industry to introduce new commercially viable varieties. Spent mushroom compost is a waste material that could feasibly be recycled as a substrate to support a new commercially viable crop cycle when amended with supplements. On the other hand, a new line of research based on the use of mushroom growth promoting microorganisms is rising above the horizon to supplement the native microbiota, which...
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The use of fungicides is common in mushroom cultivation, but no study was carried out applying reduced doses of fungicides in order to increase yield, taking account the hormesis effect. The aim of this manuscript was to verify the... more
The use of fungicides is common in mushroom cultivation, but no study was carried out applying reduced doses of fungicides in order to increase yield, taking account the hormesis effect. The aim of this manuscript was to verify the effects of different concentrations of fungicides to stimulate the productivity of different strains of Agaricus bisporus. Two stages were developed, an in vitro study to define the best concentration to be applied in the second experiment an agronomic study, which consisted of the application of the selected fungicides, in their respective concentrations, in an experiment carried out in the mushroom chamber. Clearly, the result of the hormesis effect on mushroom cultivation can be verified. The results obtained in the 1st stage of the study (in vitro) were not always reproduced in the 2nd stage of the study (in vivo). The kresoxim methyl active ingredient may be an important chemical agent, while strain ABI 15/01 may be an extremely important biological ...
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The oligodeoxyribonucleotide (ODN) 5'-TTTTCAATTCGAAGATGAAT-3' (ODN H), identified in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) serum, induced the production of interferon (IFN)-alpha in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells... more
The oligodeoxyribonucleotide (ODN) 5'-TTTTCAATTCGAAGATGAAT-3' (ODN H), identified in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) serum, induced the production of interferon (IFN)-alpha in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) when combined with lipofectin. Flow cytometric analysis with staining for surface antigens and intracellular IFN-alpha, showed that the IFN-alpha-producing cells (IPC) were the natural IPC, also termed type 2 dendritic cell precursors (pDC2) or plasmacytoid monocytes. The importance of unmethylated CpG dinucleotides for the interferogenic activity of ODN was studied. Methylation of CpG impaired the activity of single-stranded (ss) ODN H, but increased that of the complementary ssODN I. Furthermore, CpG-methylated double-stranded (ds) ODN Hmet-Imet lost, but hemimethylated dsODN H-Imet retained interferogenic activity. Inversion of the CpG to GpC had no effect on the interferogenic activity of ssODN H, increased that of ssODN I, however abolished the activity of dsODN H-I. Alteration of the CpG in ODN H to ApG and in the ODN I to CpT destroyed their activity. The induction of IFN-alpha is therefore sequence-specific, but unmethylated CpGs are not always required, especially not in ssODNs. Interferogenic DNA sequences could therefore be more frequent in eukaryotic genomes than previously thought and their capacity to activate natural IPC may have implications for immune responses to microbial antigens and nuclear autoantigens.
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Avaliaram-se a composição química da madeira e da casca de sete espécies (E. saligna E. grandis, E. urophylla, E. camaldulensis, E. citriodora, E. paniculata e E. pellita) e três clones de eucalipto (híbridos de E. grandis x E.... more
Avaliaram-se a composição química da madeira e da casca de sete espécies (E. saligna E. grandis, E. urophylla, E. camaldulensis, E. citriodora, E. paniculata e E. pellita) e três clones de eucalipto (híbridos de E. grandis x E. urophylla), antes e durante o cultivo das linhagens LE-95/01 e LE-96/18 de shiitake (Lentinula edodes), em toras. Cada linhagem de shiitake foi inoculada em nove toras de cada tipo de eucalipto com 1 m de comprimento e 9 a 14 cm de diâmetro. Assim, o delineamento experimental foi inteiramente casualizado, com 20 tratamentos e nove repetições, sendo cada repetição correspondente a uma tora. As toras foram mantidas em estufa climatizada, com temperatura de 25 ºC ± 5 e umidade relativa do ar entre 60-80%, durante 12 meses. Para a determinação da composição química da madeira, analisaram-se cunhas de discos e cascas de eucalipto recém-cortadas (sem inoculação das linhagens de L. edodes) e cunhas de discos e cascas retirados de toras já inoculadas com as linhagens...
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Casing materials and practices used in the cultivation of Agaricus bisporus were evaluated in the cultivation of Agaricus subrufescens, using the best techniques for optimization of production, including the possibility of re-casing of... more
Casing materials and practices used in the cultivation of Agaricus bisporus were evaluated in the cultivation of Agaricus subrufescens, using the best techniques for optimization of production, including the possibility of re-casing of the compost for the production of a second crop of mushroom. Casing based on peat moss, loam soil or coir was compared to casing material mixed with or without spawn-run compost. Based on the results, we conclude that the casing layer used in the cultivation of A. subrufescens should not necessarily be the same as that used in the cultivation of A. bisporus. For the tested strain cultivated with loam soil as casing layer, the ruffling technique is highly superior to CACing and should be pursued in further research. The re-casing of compost in new cycles showed good results suggesting that the currently used compost could be improved.
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The aim of the research was (i) to evaluate white and cream strains of A. bisporus yields when challenged or not with the pathogen L. fungicola, (ii) to identify the more aggressive pathogen isolates, and (iii) to develop a diagrammatic... more
The aim of the research was (i) to evaluate white and cream strains of A. bisporus yields when challenged or not with the pathogen L. fungicola, (ii) to identify the more aggressive pathogen isolates, and (iii) to develop a diagrammatic scale of spot symptoms on infected mushrooms. The experiment was carried out using two strains of A. bisporus (white and cream strains, ABI 19/01 and PB 19/01, respectively) and four isolates of L. fungicola (LF 19/01, FL 19/02, LF 19/03, and LF 19/04). The A. bisporus white strain (ABI 19/01) reached a higher yield of healthy mushrooms compared to the cream strain (PB 19/01) with values of 23.8 and 14.1%, respectively. The LF 19/03 pathogen was most aggressive, reducing the yield of healthy mushrooms by up to 64% for the PB 1/01 strain, and 49.6% for the ABI 19/01 strain. Additionally, for the same isolate, larger mushroom areas were affected, while also displaying symptoms precociously during the second flush. Finally, using the set of visually displayed symptoms assessed in this study, we were able to construct a diagrammatic scale to assist commercial mushroom growers for managing diseased crops.
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Supplementation of mushroom substrates has been linked to a higher resistance against insect pests, although few studies show the impact of this supplementation on the different agronomical parameters of mushrooms or even their chemical... more
Supplementation of mushroom substrates has been linked to a higher resistance against insect pests, although few studies show the impact of this supplementation on the different agronomical parameters of mushrooms or even their chemical composition. In this work, the variation in the biological and chemical composition of oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus var. florida (Jacq.) P. Kumm) was analysed after varying the substrate supplementation of calcium silicate (0, 0.5, 1, 2, and 4% (w/w%)) during two harvest flushes. Overall, supplementation did not change the weight, the number of fruiting bodies, biological efficiency, yield ratio, and productivity rate of the mushrooms, although the harvest flushes did show significant differences. Furthermore, slight changes were found in the chemical composition with an increase in vitamin D2 and tocopherols for the mushrooms with higher amounts of calcium silicate. Overall, the substrate supplementation did not seem to induce expressive cha...
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New species of medicinal mushrooms have emerged over the past several decades, such as the Sun mushroom, Agaricus subrufescens. Horticultural improvements are required to shift its cultivation from small-scale local production to... more
New species of medicinal mushrooms have emerged over the past several decades, such as the Sun mushroom, Agaricus subrufescens. Horticultural improvements are required to shift its cultivation from small-scale local production to large-scale international production. The research reported here evaluated the agronomic behavior and the chemical characteristics of the Sun mushroom as a function of i) nutritional supplementation ii) ruffling of the casing layer and iii) the temperature management on the primordia induction and reduction of the crop cycle. Supplementation was beneficial for yield, unit mushroom weigh and decrease in time to first harvest. Supplementation improved biological efficiency with Champfood providing a yield increase of 15% over the non-supplemented compost. Among the supplements only Promycel increased the individual mushroom weight. Ruffling overall improved the yield in the 2nd and 4th flush. Already biological efficiency was greater by 21%. The highest yield...
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The productivity parameters of 2 Pleurotus spp. cultivated with two mixtures of wheat straw (WS) and peat moss (MG) were evaluated, the chemical composition of the mushrooms and also the antioxidant, antibacterial activities of hexanic... more
The productivity parameters of 2 Pleurotus spp. cultivated with two mixtures of wheat straw (WS) and peat moss (MG) were evaluated, the chemical composition of the mushrooms and also the antioxidant, antibacterial activities of hexanic extracts of the fruit bodies were determined. Pleurotus strains were fructified using the mixture 1 (60% of WS + 40% of MG) obtained the highest biological efficiencies, production rates and yields. The strain of Pleurotus ostreatus (XC005) cultivated using the mixture 2 (80% WS + 20% of MG) presented fruit bodies with highest protein content being of 25.28%, and also the strain of Pleurotus djamor (XC007) fructified on the mixture 2 showed mushrooms with highest protein content being of 30.98%. The highest antioxidant effect resulted in the hexanic extract of the Pleurotus ostreatus cultivated on M2 was found using the TBARS inhibition assay (EC50 = 0.12 mg mL- 1), while the highest antioxidant activity showed the hexanic extract of the Pleurotus dja...
The production of Agaricus bisporus results in significant residual material after cultivation. Due to its physical properties and nutrient content Spent Mushroom Substrate (SMS) has great potential for use in agriculture. Our study... more
The production of Agaricus bisporus results in significant residual material after cultivation. Due to its physical properties and nutrient content Spent Mushroom Substrate (SMS) has great potential for use in agriculture. Our study evaluated the feasibility of using SMS as an alternative substrate for the production of Paronset® hybrid tomato seedlings and as an organic fertilizer in its production. To conduct the fruit production experiment, the plots consisted of three types of fertilizers (SMS of A. bisporus, NPK and bovine manure) with four replications. The seedlings produced in the SMS presented higher rates of germination time and speeds, and stood out from the other substrates in the evaluation of seedling quality. In the tomato fruit production phase, the average production of the plants originating from the SMS was 20% higher than the seedlings from the commercial substrate. The plants cultivated with the SMS presented higher production than the plants cultivated with bov...
Soybean rust (SBR), caused by Phakopsora pachyrhizi, is one of the most destructive fungal diseases affecting soybean yields in many countries. Fungicide application methods that provide better SBR control efficacy may reduce soybean... more
Soybean rust (SBR), caused by Phakopsora pachyrhizi, is one of the most destructive fungal diseases affecting soybean yields in many countries. Fungicide application methods that provide better SBR control efficacy may reduce soybean losses due to this disease. We investigated the effects of spray volumes applying the fungicide pyraclostrobin plus epoxiconazol at 133 + 50 g a.i. ha-1 by a conventional sprayer (CS) and an air-assisted sprayer (AAS). Field experiments were conducted comparing the effects of spray volumes of 110, 160, and 210 L ha-1 and two application techniques (CS and AAS) on spray deposits and SBR control. Fungicide efficacies were measured by disease severity, thousand seed weight, and yield. Correlations between disease severity and yield were also assessed. All treatments were applied with an Advance 2000 AM18 sprayer. In general, SBR disease and yield did not differ significantly when fungicide applications were applied with AAS compared to CS. Increasing the s...