Abstract

Button mushroom is an important edible fungus cultivated in Kashmir, but it is often attacked by disease causing organisms, including fungi, bacteria and viruses. Some of them cause huge losses by reducing the yield significantly or result in serious crop failures, depending upon the severity and stage of appearance. One of the mycoparasite, Mycogone perniciosa, the cause of wet bubble disease, was observed in samples collected from mushroom farms of three districts: Srinagar, Budgam and Pulwama of Kashmir Valley. This fungal pathogen was constantly associated with the disease and produced typical and characteristic symptoms of wet bubble disease. Isolation of the pathogen was made from diseased fruiting bodies. The pathogenicity proved in accordance with the Koch’s postulates both in vivo as well as in vitro. The pathogen was found to attack button mushroom at all the growth stages but the immature mushroom were found more susceptible than the mature ones, and characteristic symptoms developed on all the inoculated sporophores. The mushrooms were malformed with swollen stipes and with deformed caps. The in vitro interaction between Agaricus bisporus andM. perniciosa mycelia indicated the hyphal collapse of the former at the point of contact between the two fungi. There was no zone of inhibition, found in this interaction.

Key words: Yield, symptoms, susceptible, sporophores, interaction, hyphal collapse.