Pleurotus tuber-regium

Pleurotus tuber-regium, the king tuber mushroom, is an edible gilled fungus native to the tropics, including Africa, Asia, and Australasia.[1] It has been shown to be a distinct species incapable of cross-breeding and phylogenetically removed from other species of Pleurotus.[2]

Pleurotus tuber-regium
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Fungi
Phylum:
Basidiomycota
Class:
Agaricomycetes
Order:
Agaricales
Family:
Pleurotaceae
Genus:
Pleurotus
Species:
P. tuber-regium
Binomial name
Pleurotus tuber-regium
(Rumph. ex Fr.) Singer 1951
Synonyms

Pachyma tuber-regium Fr. 1822
Lentinus tuber-regium (Fr.) Fr. 1836

P. tuber-regium is a saprotroph found on dead wood, including Daniellia trees in Africa.[3] As the fungus consumes the wood, it produces a sclerotium, or storage tuber, either within the decaying wood or in the underlying soil. These sclerotia are round, dark brown with white interiors, and up to 30 cm wide. The fruiting bodies then emerge from the sclerotium. Both the sclerotium and the fruiting bodies are edible.[1]

In addition to being saprotrophic, P. tuber-regium is also nematophagous, catching nematodes by paralyzing them with a toxin.[4]

P. tuber-regium has a history of economic importance in Africa as food and as a medicinal mushroom.[1][5] Industrial cultivation is not yet common, but studies have shown P. tuber-regium can be grown on organic wastes such as corn, sawdust, cardboard.[3][5][6] Mycelial growth occurs between 15 °C and 40 °C, with an optimum growth rate at 35 °C.[1] A recent study demonstrated that polysaccharides of P. tuber-regium are able to delay the progression of diabetes and associated complications in rats with insulin resistance [7].

P. tuber-regium can degrade polyethylene film[7].

References
  1. Oso, B. A. (Mar–Apr 1977). "Pleurotus tuber-regium from Nigeria". Mycologia. 69 (2): 271–279. doi:10.2307/3758652. JSTOR 3758652.
  2. Vilgalys, R.; Moncalvo, J.M.; Liou, S.R.; Volovsek, M. (1996). "Recent advances in molecular systematics of the genus Pleurotus" (PDF). In Royse, D.J. (ed.). Mushroom biology and mushroom products: proceedings of the 2nd International Conference, June 9-12, 1996. University Park, PA (USA): Pennsylvania State University: World Society for Mushroom Biology and Mushroom Products. pp. 91–101. ISBN 1-883956-01-3.
  3. Okhuoya, J. A.; Okogbo, F. O. (1990). "Induction of edible sclerotia of Pleurotus tuber-regium (FR) Sing, in the laboratory". Annals of Applied Biology. 117 (2): 295–298. doi:10.1111/j.1744-7348.1990.tb04215.x.
  4. Hibbett, D. S.; Thorn, R. G. (Sep–Oct 1994). "Nematode-Trapping in Pleurotus tuberregium". Mycologia. 86 (5): 696–699. doi:10.2307/3760542. JSTOR 3760542.
  5. Isikhuemhen, O.S.; LeBauer, D.S. (2004). "Growing Pleurotus tuber-regium" (PDF). Oyster Mushroom Cultivation. Seoul (Korea): Mushworld. pp. 270–281. ISBN 1-883956-01-3.
  6. Isikhuemhen, O.S.; Okhuoya, J.A. (1996). "Cultivation of Pleurotus tuber-regium (Fr.) Sing. for production of edible sclerotia on agricultural wastes" (PDF). In Royse, D.J. (ed.). Mushroom biology and mushroom products: proceedings of the 2nd International Conference, June 9-12, 1996. University Park, PA (USA): Pennsylvania State University: World Society for Mushroom Biology and Mushroom Products. pp. 429–436. ISBN 1-883956-01-3.
  7. Nwogu, NA (2012). "Capability of selected mushrooms to biodegrade polyethylene". Mycosphere. 3 (4): 455–462. doi:10.5943/mycosphere/3/4/9. ISSN 2077-7019.

7. Huang H.Y., Mallikarjuna Korivi, Chaing Y.Y., Chien T.Y., and Tsai Y.C. (2012). Pleurotus tuber-regium polysaccharides attenuate hyperglycemia and oxidative stress in experimental diabetic rats. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2012, doi:10.1155/2012/856381. http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2012/856381/

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