Selection of Superior Strains of Cordyceps militaris with Enhanced Fruiting Body Productivity.

In vitro fruiting bodies were produced from ten different isolates of Cordyceps militaris EFCC C-5736, EFCC C-5941, EFCC C-5976, EFCC C-6040, EFCC C-6849, EFCC C-7268, EFCC C-7342, EFCC C-7992, EFCC C-8027 and EFCC C-8549. Single ascospores were isolated from in vitro grown fruiting bodies and used for fruiting body production in brown rice medium by both intra-strain crossing and out-crossing. Length and dry wt. of stromata grown in vitro were measured. Strains producing highest dry wt. of stromata were selected. Both intra-strain crossings and inter-strain crossings of single ascospore strains were found to produce profuse fruiting bodies of C. militaris.