Enoki Mushroom (Flammulina velutipes (Curtis) Singer) Breeding

Enoki is a popular edible mushroom well recognized for its culinary, nutritional and medicinal properties. Owing to its popularity, enoki cultivation has been rapidly expanded in the recent years in China and Japan. Bioactive compounds such as flammulinolide, enokipodin, proflamin and other polysaccharides extracted from both mycelium and fruiting bodies have demonstrated possible antitumor, anti-hypertension, anti-hypercholesterolemia and other therapeutic benefits. The life cycle of enoki mushroom is similar to that of other basidiomycetes and exhibits dedikaryotization which can produce both monokaryotic and dikaryotic fruiting bodies. Morphological variations in cultivated edible strains are clearly distinguished as Jinhua and Jinzhen types. Based on the available literature, it was observed that the yellow strains (Jinhua) may be domesticated directly from the wild strains while the cultivated white (Jinzhen) strains may have evolved through hybridization between wild cultivars. Genetic diversity studies indicate that the cultivated strains have a relatively narrow genetic base. With the increased pace in production activity, the need for genetic improvement of enoki has attained significance. This chapter reviews the available literature relating to the biology, sexuality, breeding behavior, conventional and molecular breeding approaches aimed at the genetic improvement of enoki mushroom.