Application of MRI to Shiitake Mushroom Cultivation

Shiitake mushrooms are commercially grown in culture media such as logs or in sawdust in culture bags. The shiitake mycelium spreads within the medium, decomposes the medium, absorbs and stores nutrients, and then shiitake mushrooms develop. Moisture in the medium is collected by the mycelium and supplied to the growing shiitake mushrooms. The spatial distributions of moisture concentration within shiitake-inoculated logs, along with T1 and T2 relaxation time constants, were measured using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) during the process of mycelial colonization and throughout the growth of the mushrooms.