Common name: Shiitake mushroom.
Botanical classification: Lentinus edodes (Berk) Sing.
Variety denomination: ‘HS911’.
The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of Shiitake mushroom, Lentinus edodes (Berk) Sing, which has been given the variety denomination ‘HS911’.
This new mushroom has a medium growth rate, medium to small-size scales, a slender stipe, and a very light dry weight at harvest maturity.
The parent varieties are ‘HS788’ (mother) (not patented) and ‘HL8516’ (father) (not patented), respectively.
The mother variety ‘HS788’ was obtained as a new variety from parents ‘Hokken 71go’ (mother) (not patented) and ‘HL0508’ (father) (not patented). In March 2006, we selected for the superiority in mycelial elongation after a single spore isolation. Afterwards, we started log-cultivation characteristics tests in March 2011, physiological characteristic tests and genetic characteristic tests in July 2014, and obtained ‘HS788’ as a new variety.
The father variety ‘HL8516’ was obtained as a new variety from unknown parents. ‘HL8516’ is a control number assigned to a spore print obtained from a fruiting body collected in the wild.
In August 2015, we cross-bred ‘HS788’ with ‘HL8516’ and grew the new variety. The characteristics of the new variety were studied from March 2016 to July 2019. Afterwards, we started physiological characteristic tests and characteristic confirmation tests in August 2019, and the new variety was found to be stable in July 2020. We reproduced the variety asexually by vegetative reproduction using spawns for seedlings.
The variety was developed and propagated in Shimotsuga-gun, Tochigi, Japan.
Suitable times of sowing and harvesting are as follows:
Cultivation of the variety does not require special conditions or treatments.
The variety is currently mainly intended for food production.
The variety is distinguished by a medium growth rate, medium to small-size scales, a slender stipe, and a very light dry weight at harvest maturity, especially as compared to the varieties ‘Hokken 600 go’ (not patented) and ‘HS73’ (not patented), which are otherwise relatively similar in cultivation.
A comparison with the varieties ‘Hokken 600 go’ and ‘HS73’ is as follows (average values):
As compared to its parents ‘HS788’ and ‘HL8516’, the variety is distinguished by having its distribution of scales over the whole cap, as opposed to only over the periphery for ‘HS788’ (over the whole cap for ‘HL8516’), by having its stipe shape in vertical section that is broader toward the cap, as opposed to broader toward the base for ‘HS788’ and cylindrical for ‘HL8516’, and by having crinkly gill shape, as opposed to straight for ‘HL8516 (crinkly for ‘HS788’).
The comparison of the variety with its parents ‘HS788’ and ‘HL8516’ is summarized as follows:
In the accompanying drawings, which are as nearly true as is reasonable possible to make in a color illustration of this type:
Due to chemical and/or digital development, processing and printing, the plants or portions of plants depicted in the photographs may or may not be precisely accurate, when compared to the actual botanical specimens.
The botanical description and the photographs are of the ‘HS911’ plants at 146 days from sowing (and for the comparative plants: ‘Hokken 600 go’ at 110 days from sowing and ‘HK73’ at 117 days from sowing). Values as provided are averages.
The plants shown on the photographs were grown in Shimotsuga-gun, Tochigi, Japan.
Colors are given according to The R.H.S. Color Chart, Sixth Edition (2015).