Obtaining and characterizing Pleurotus ostreatus strains for commercial cultivation under warm environmental conditions

Pleurotus ostreatus strains obtained by interbreeding were cultivated under warm conditions (27 degrees C), with the aim to identify germoplasm adequate to commercial production. Based on the radial growth rate of monokaryotic mycelia isolated from two A ostreatus strains, a culture isolate was selected from each type of compatibility, and interbred to obtain 16 strains. Pasteurized barley straw was used as the substrate for mushroom production. The mean biological efficiency of the strains was 84.17% and the production rate was 1.76%. In vitro laccase activity was tested for both parental strains and the four most productive strains of progeny. The mean enzyme activity of the strains was 1.21 mu g mol/disc/ABTS oxidized. These results show the high potential of these strains for their use in substrate delignification and the production of basidiocarps under natural environmental conditions of warm regions. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.