Auricularia (jelly fungi, ear mushroom) species are widely consumed, especially in Asia. Auricularia cornea is one of the cultivable species that was recently recorded from Thailand and is an edible mushroom used in Traditional Chinese Medicine. In this study, a strain of Auricularia cornea was collected from northern Thailand, confirmed with morphology, molecular data and was cultivated in the laboratory. Strain MFLUCC18-0346 was grown on PDA medium and spawn was prepared using Sorghum bicolor (sorghum) medium. Fruiting bodies were obtained by rubber sawdust bag cultivation. We found that the wild strain of A. cornea produced fruiting bodies at 25±1°C and 75–85% humidity. The first primordia of A. cornea was produced on day 76. The average yield of A. cornea was 242±37.52 g and the biological efficiency was 72.46±11.23% with six flushes in three months. The mushroom could be commercially cultivated; however, further research is needed to develop suitable agriculture wastes for increasing production yields and later the species could be introduced to Thai market for cultivation and medicinal use.
Congratulations, Dr. Naritsada Thongklang and co-authors!
