Light is an important factor deciding about yielding and morphological characters of Pleurotus carpophores. The objective of the research was to ascertain the impact of period and intensity of lighting on yielding and carpophore morphological features of four strains of oyster mushroom. The following strains were investigated: P. ostreatus: PX, K22 and P80 strains, P. pulmonarius: P20 strain. Fluorescent lamps with Day-Light were used to provide light in the cultivation room. The following lighting periods were used: 6, 10 and 14 hours/day and the applied lighting intensity included: 100, 300, 500 and 700 lx. Lighting exerted a significant impact on yielding. The highest carpophore crop was recorded when the applied lighting intensity was 500 and 700 lx for the period of 14 h/d. The highest mean mass of carpophores was recorded at 14-hour light exposure and 500 and 700 lx lighting intensity. Carpophore morphological features modified by the lighting period and its intensity included the cap diameter as well as the length and thickness of the stem.
The objects of our investigations were two strains of H. erinaceus, HI and D5, grown on substrates from beech, oak and birch sawdust. The following parameters were determined in the carpophores of examined mushrooms: contents of dry matter, protein, fat and carbohydrates as well as concentration of volatile compounds.Contents of dry matter, protein and fat did not differ in carpophores of the examined H. erinaceus strains. However, in comparison with the carpophores of the D5 strain, carpophores of the HI strain had higher content of carbohydrates. The type of sawdust used as a substrate influenced the content of dry matter, protein, fat and carbohydrates in the carpophores. The carpophores developed on beech and oak sawdust substrates contained more mentioned components than those which grew on birch substrate. This was characteristic for both of examined mushroom strains.The total of nine volatile compounds was identified in the carpophores of H. erinaceus. The dominant compound was l-octen-3-ol which constituted 56-60% of their total amount.