What’s up Mycopreneurs,
Today we’re diving into the booming wild west mushroom genetics and spore market.
Liquid cultures, mycelium on agar, spore swabs, Rhizomorphic growth…it’s a lot to stay on top of. The aim of this newsletter and today’s Mycopreneur Incubator is to help demystify some of the art and science of mushroom genetics, and how strong and viable genetics are selected for.
Mushroom genetics are the basis from which the ‘Shroom Boom’ has sprung, but where do these genetics come from? How are they replicated? What precisely accounts for the difference between an unpredictable research experiment and a high-yielding, viable operation?
Today’s free online Mycopreneur Incubator is being co-hosted by Sonoran Spores will dive deeper into this arena…invite at the bottom of this newsletter.
Psilocybin mushroom spores are widely legal across the United States considering they don’t actually contain any scheduled or illicit substances in their microscopic form; as such, a booming economy has emerged around this trade ‘for microscopy purposes only’
The regulatory tides that allow for this trade and the resultant citizen mycologist boom are already starting to shift — last year, Florida moved to ban psilocybin mushroom spores. What remains today is a window that is open, and a growing community of advocates and researchers who are positioning themselves ahead of the curve by leveraging the available opportunity to engage in this niche trade.
Further understanding this growing spore vending and mycology supplies market offers a window into a world that every mushroom entrepreneur and myco-enthusiast should have a familiarity with. We can’t cover everything in this short newsletter, but consider it a stepping stone towards a more well-rounded understanding of an often under-covered and mysterious topic with ample immediate real-world applications.
The internet is full of spore vendors and mycology research supply outlets, and it can be a lot to navigate.
Thankfully, Mycopreneur has partnered with Full Canopy Genetics to help streamline your mushroom research journey.
So what accounts for a viable mushroom culture capable of producing a high yields and multiple flushes of mushrooms?
1. Rhizomorphic Growth Characteristics
Dense, Ropey Mycelium: Stronger genetics often present as "rhizomorphic" growth—thick, rope-like strands of mycelium—which indicates rapid nutrient exploration and colonization, rather than thin, fluffy ("tomentose") mycelium.
Fast Colonization Speed: Strong strains are selected for their ability to quickly fill a substrate, which reduces the time the substrate is vulnerable to competitors.
2. Genetic Isolation and Stability (Monoculture)
Isolating Sectors: Strong genetics are usually "isolated" on agar plates, where specific, fast-growing, and healthy sectors are moved to new plates to produce a consistent monoculture (genetically identical mycelium).
Low Passage Numbers: The fewer times a culture has been transferred (low passage number) from the original master, the less likely it is to suffer from senescence (a loss of vitality/speed).
3. High Contamination Resistance
Aggressive Growth: Stronger strains produce higher levels of metabolic byproducts and grow fast enough to outperform bacteria and molds.
Environmental Resilience: Good genetics can withstand temperature fluctuations and inconsistent environmental conditions without stalling or dying.
4. Proven Fruiting Performance
Cloning Proven Winners: Strong genetics are often derived from clones of mushrooms that have shown desirable traits, such as high yield (large, thick fruits), robust cluster formation, or high density.
Documentation: Reliable cultures are tested for their Biological Efficiency (BE), which measures the weight of fresh mushrooms produced relative to the dry weight of the substrate.
5. Proper Storage and Maintenance
Cold Storage: Strong cultures are maintained on agar slants and stored at 2–4 °C (36–39 °F) to preserve vitality, often for up to 12 months.
Sterile Handling: Strong genetics can still fail if handled in non-sterile conditions. Using techniques like a Still Air Box (SAB) or Laminar Flow Hood ensures the genetics remain pure and uninfected.
In summary, strong genetics are rarely found, but rather created through meticulous, ongoing selection by the cultivator on agar and in the fruiting chamber, focusing on speed, yield, and consistency. We’ll dive into this together at the Mycopreneur Incubator today.
Mushroom news from around the world
A first of it’s kind spider that mimics the characteristics of a cordycep fungus riddled spider body has been found in Ecuador — this strategy signals to potential prey that the spider is already dead. The tour guide who found this spider works closely with our friends at Mycena LLC, who organize open to the public mycological research trips to the area.
Researchers in Japan tested the mycelial response network of a group of fungi known to favor ammonia, one of the key ingredients in urine. They alternately doused the patch of fungi with water and urine in different concentrations, and found that the fungal response varied depending on which substance was deployed —
“These results indicate that forest mushrooms can flexibly change their electrical information flow in response to a variety of disturbances. These findings could help in solving the mysteries surrounding electrical communication in mushrooms, such as what type of activity the electric signals measured in this study are meant to trigger” - Yu Fukasawa,associate professor at Tohoku University
Thelephora terrestris and Thelephora vialis are two species of mushroom that contain the compound vialinin A, which may prevent melanoma from metastasing.
Growers warn that disruption in the Strait of Hormuz is driving up diesel, fertiliser and packaging costs for crops
“Food and drink is quite energy intensive. A good rule of thumb is it takes five calories of fossil fuel to bring one calorie of food onto the plate,” he said. Precisely because of this, most companies hedge their energy bills, to reduce volatility, but the longer the war goes on, the more likely it is they will have to renegotiate contracts
Mycopreneur Incubator Today
Today’s Mycopreneur Incubator will dive into the art and science of mushroom genetics and the mushroom spore market.
It is being co-hosted by Sonoran Spores
Today at 3 pm East Coast U.S. / 12 pm West Coast U.S.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87575277676?pwd=w5k1GGlfZ22I3SOtolZbZokYnxpUi8.1
Meeting ID: 875 7527 7676
Passcode: 038704
Thanks for reading the Mycopreneur Newsletter, and see you at the Incubator today