Since 1954, mushroom culture has become a booming industry in Taiwan (Luh,
1967), However, the production per unit area is still far from comparable
to those of United States and Japan (Hu & Song, 1967). Whereas the cause
for the inferior per unit production is not known, it is suggested that
genetic defect of the spawn might be a contributing factor. In order to
elucidate the problem, it is felt necessary to clarify the cytological as
well as the physiological features of the mushroom cultivated locally.
Cytogenetic studies on Agaricus bisporus have been done by several
researchers. Evans (1956), Lin & Wu (1968) studied the nuclear behavior
both in somatic cells and basidium. Kligman (1943), Sass (1936) and Jiri
(1965) especially concentrated on the meiotic process and the behavior of
the haploid nuclei in basidia and basidiospores. Meiotic behaviors and
chromosome number of the fungus, however, are not clear. We report here
the nuclear phenomena in the basidia, basidiospores and hyphal cells.
Biological oxidation is a vital process in living cells. In the study of
physiology in cultivated mushroom, we are interested in the biochemical
events in the process of fructification. Thus, the work is also undertaken
to study the carbohydrate catabolism in the process of development of the
cultivated mushroom, A. bisporus.