Abstract

Objectives: Cultivated morels have still not replaced wild morels. Thus, wild-harvested morels are one of the most valuable forest products in the global market. Many researchers have discussed why morels are difficult and expensive to culture and investigated cheaper to grow morels. Material and methods: In this study, we researched optimal living conditions for morels using an artificial inexpensive method. We used different substrates, such as peat, potato crust, rice hulls, wheat, sawdust, and chestnut crust, to produce Morchella pre-sclerotia. Results and Conclusions: We determined mycelial growth using the colony diameter method and Morchella nutrient-primed prepared by using only peat and its mixtures with potato crust, rice hulls, wheat, sawdust and chestnut crust in different ratios after removing the spores. The results show that the pre-sclerotial time was accelerated using cheap substrates and that a sclerotia kit could be developed.

Authors and Affiliations