ABSTRACT
The Shiitake mushroom (Lentinula (Lentinus) edodes) is a popular item in the diet of people of Southeast Asia. It has been gaining in popularity in the U.S.A. as fresh shiitake is becoming available on a year-round basis. Traditionally, shiitake are produced on natural oak wood logs although several other species of trees are also used (Chang & Miles, 1989). However, recent years have seen an increasing interest in producing shiitake mushrooms on artificial logs composed of sawdust, bran, and a cereal grain (Chang & Miles, 1989). Advantages of the artificial log are that the time from inoculation to fructification is shorter and a higher yield of mushrooms is obtained per pound of log. The disadvantages of the artificial logs over the natural logs are the technical requirements for preparing and handling the logs to achieve the higher mushroom yields in a dependable manner.
