ABSTRACT
The growth of thirty-four Lentinula edodes strains submitted to different mycelial cultivation conditions (pH and temperature) was evaluated and strain variability was assessed by RAPD molecular markers. The growth at three pH values (5, 6 and 7) and four different temperatures (16, 25, 28 and 37§C) was measured using the in vitro mycelial development rate and water retention as parameters. Mycelial cultivation was successful at all pH tested, while the ideal temperature for mycelial cultivation ranged between 25 and 28§C. The water content was lower in strains grown at 37§C. Among 20 OPA primers (Operon Technologies, Inc.) used for the RAPD analyses, seventeen presented good polymorphism (OPA01 to OPA05, OPA07 to OPA14, OPA17 to OPA20). The clustering based on similarity coefficients allowed the separation of strain in two groups with different geographic origins.