Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the mating type system and initiation of fruiting body development of a medicinal mushroom Phellinus linteus from Cambodia.  Theevidence of fungal crossing analysis revealed that Cambodian P. linteus was a heterothallic basidiomycete and had a bipolar mating system. Clamp connection and peg cells formed on the dikaryons were possibly regulated by A and B genes. Initiation of the fruiting body was observed first on the Malt Extract Agar (MEA). In addition, we also found that fruiting bodies rapidly initiated on wood blocks. Unfortunately, their fruiting body initials were arrested before the stage of fruiting body maturation. Hence, a mushroom cultivation approach was chosen for observing the proper fruiting body development. The results showed that most mushroom spawns inoculated by dikaryons had initiated the small size(1.5 to 4.0 cm in diameter) fruiting bodies with a semicircular-shape. Fruiting body was not form in the mushroom spawns inoculated by monokaryons.

Key words: Phellinus linteus, fruiting body, mating system, heterothallic basidiomycete.