Identification of shiitake genotypes by multilocus enzyme electrophoresis: catalog of lines.

Starch gel electrophoresis of allozymes extracted from mycelium grown in submerged culture was used to identify and catalog lines of Lentinula edodes. Variability at 11 multiallelic loci was used to separate 91 lines collected from worldwide sources into 35 genotypic classes. Genotypic class 2 was the largest, with 18 lines; 18 other genotypic classes contained more than one line; and 16 genotypic classes contained only one line each. Three hybrids, with potential commercial value, were produced by crossing single-spore-derived monokaryons of different genotypes. Each of the three hybrids could be differentiated from the above 35 classes based on their multilocus allelic combinations. Multilocus enzyme analysis should aid the description, registration, and licensing of improved shiitake cultivars.