Advances in Propagation and Cultivation of Mushroom

Dear Colleagues,

The edible and medicinal mushroom industry is characterized by its recyclability, high protein content, quick results, and high output. It is an important means of practicing large-scale food management, leveraging the circular production of three kingdoms (animal, plant, and fungal), enhancing national food safety coefficients, achieving green and efficient agricultural development, and ensuring the health of the population. As the edible mushroom industry continues to grow, there is increasing consumer demand in terms of the variety, product quality, and nutritional value of edible mushrooms. Producers, on the other hand, are constantly seeking new and improved modes of production, efficiency, and greener, simpler, and more automated methods. The rapid development of artificial intelligence and information technology has significantly enhanced the informatization, digitalization, and intelligence of the edible mushroom production process, greatly reducing the energy and labor costs associated with factory-based mushroom cultivation and increasing production efficiency. The joint application of multi-omics technologies, such as genomics, phenomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics, continues to reveal the interactive relationships between the growth, development, and metabolic processes of edible mushrooms and changes in the growth environment, making precise control of mushroom growth, development, and quality formation possible.

To summarize and showcase the technological advancements in recent years regarding the domestication of wild edible mushrooms, the cultivation level, and production efficiency of artificially cultivated mushrooms, and to promote the sustainable development of the mushroom industry, more research is needed in this field.

Horticulturae has invited Dr. Hailong Yu from Institute of Edible Fungi, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Dr. Yaijie Zou from Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Dr. Shoumian Li from Hebei Agricultural University, and Dr. Qiang Li from Chengdu University to collaborate on creating a Special Issue titled "Advances in Propagation and Cultivation of Mushroom".

This Special Issue will publish research progress in the following areas over the past few years: the domestication of wild edible mushrooms, cultivation models of artificially cultivated mushrooms, the development of new substrates, green pest control, and precise environmental control for mushroom growth and development. It particularly focuses on interdisciplinary research and insights. Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

    The impact of precise environmental control technology on the growth and development, product quality, and production efficiency of edible mushrooms;

    The influence of information technology (such as artificial intelligence and big data) on the management of edible mushroom production;

    The application analysis of multi-omics technologies in the growth and development and product quality control of edible mushrooms;

    Exploration of new cultivation models for edible mushrooms, such as the exploration and economic benefit analysis of forest–mushroom, vegetable–mushroom, and grain–mushroom models;

    Exploration of artificial cultivation and prevention of wild cultivation models for wild edible mushrooms;

    The application of new cultivation substrates in edible mushroom production;

Regional exploration and practice of the three-kingdom circular model (animal, plant, and fungal).

Dr. Hailong Yu
Dr. Yajie Zou
Dr. Shou-Mian Li
Dr. Qiang Li
Guest Editors

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