Fungiculture

Fungiculture is the deliberate cultivation of fungi for food, medicine, research, industry, or other purposes. It ranges from growing edible mushrooms to producing microbial products with fungi.

Mycelium: The branching network of fungal filaments that absorbs nutrients and forms much of a fungus’s body. Cultivation usually manages mycelial growth before or alongside the formation of useful products.
Edible mushroom: A mushroom species or fruiting body considered suitable for human consumption. Food production is a major use of cultivated fungi.
Fungi: A kingdom of organisms that absorb nutrients and includes yeasts, molds, and mushrooms. Fungiculture is the cultivation of members of this broad biological group.
Mushroom cultivation in China: A long-standing tradition of cultivating edible mushrooms in China, including shiitake production on wood. Historical Chinese methods are among the earliest documented practices of deliberate mushroom cultivation.
Solid-state fermentation: Microbial cultivation on moist solid materials with little or no free-flowing water. It contrasts with submerged cultivation and is common in traditional fungal processes.
Mushroom cultivation: The controlled production of mushrooms by growing fungi on prepared substrates. It is the best-known form of fungiculture, with distinct stages from inoculation to harvest.
Penicillin: A group of antibiotics first isolated from Penicillium molds. Industrial cultivation of Penicillium enabled large-scale production of this medicine.
Fungal fermentation: The use of fungi to transform substrates through growth and metabolism. Many industrial and food applications cultivate fungi in fermentation systems.
Shiitake: An edible mushroom native to East Asia, cultivated especially on hardwood logs or sawdust. Its cultivation illustrates the development of wood-based mushroom farming.
Submerged fermentation: Microbial cultivation in a liquid nutrient medium, usually with controlled mixing and aeration. It enables tightly controlled production of fungal enzymes, acids, and pharmaceuticals.

Linked from 1 page

Macrotermes bellicosusNarrower topic: The termite's fungus farming is a natural form of organized cultivation.