Sun Lentinus edodes will shine again! The first section of Lentinus edodes strain center was set up by the Gaoshi tribe to light up the mountain village with the economy under the forest.

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Lentinus edodes has a long history of growing Lentinus edodes in Taiwan, but the weakening of Lentinus edodes strains has been a long-standing problem. The Pingtung University of Science and Technology (hereinafter referred to as Pingtung University of Science and Technology) and the Agricultural Experimental Institute have cooperated with the Gaoshi tribe in Mudan Township, Pingtung County, not only to set up the country's first community-type strain center for Lentinus edodes, but also for the related technology to take root in the tribe. in the future, the tribe will cultivate suitable local bacteria, develop the most local under-forest economy, and let the tribe shine.

Duanmu Lentinus edodes planted by the Gaoshi tribe (courtesy of PUST)

"Sun Lentinus edodes" was once beautiful, but it was dimmed because of the weakening of the strain.

Lentinus edodes has been planted in Mudan Township for more than half a century. In the past, Castanopsis kawakamii (karuzng in Paiwan language) was used as a tree species. The cultivated Lentinus edodes has rich aroma and unique flavor, and is known as the title of "Sun Lentinus edodes". It is not only an important source of income for many tribal people, but also a local culture that villagers are proud of.

However, in the past few years, Duanmu Lentinus edodes has faced the problems of insufficient wood source and strain weakening. Strains with a capacity of three years can now often only produce Lentinus edodes once, which is not only a waste of wood, but also a loss in the cost of buying strains.

Wu Yuting, an associate professor in the Department of Forestry at Ping University of Science and Technology, said that after Duan Mu chisel was implanted with bacteria, bacteria could not be planted repeatedly in the same hole. If Lentinus edodes does not grow in the second or third year, Duan Mu will slowly be invaded by saprophytic bacteria in the environment, causing decay and can no longer be used.

At the same time, companies that used to provide Lentinus edodes strains have been using incubators for asexual reproduction, repeating the results of subculture, making the strains more and more simple. The purified strains can not face the problems of climate change and local environmental differences, and the productivity will become worse and worse, that is, the crisis of strain weakening.

Duanmu Lentinus edodes growing up in the tribal forest (courtesy of PUST)

PUST assists tribes in isolating the mycelium of Lentinus edodes and cultivating suitable local strains.

Today, PUST assists the Gaoshi tribe in selecting the best phenotypes of Lentinus edodes that grow every year, and isolating their strains for use next year. Such strains can absorb nutrients in the local environment, and will also be affected by factors such as the interaction of microorganisms in the environment. In the long run, they can cultivate Lentinus edodes strains with unique flavor, make a "Gaoshi brand", and adapt to the local climate. Reduce the impact of weather.

The University of Science and Technology not only isolates bacteria for tribal use, but also trains local technical teams for the isolation and cultivation of Lentinus edodes. At the same time, it plans to set up a strain center to transplant the technology of Lentinus edodes to the tribe step by step. When the tribe has developed its wings, it may be possible to resell the bacteria to other mountain villages or tribes in similar environments in Pingtung and Taitung, so as to increase revenue.

Multiple tree species with special characteristics of Lentinus edodes

It is also possible to solve the problem of bacteria and Duan Mu. In the past, the Kaoshi tribe used to use Castanopsis kawakamii, but the PUST team is experimenting with five other tree species: Qinggang oak, du Ying, Liquidambar formosana, Acacia wood, and Baiyazi, trying to understand the quality performance of these wood-cultivated Lentinus edodes.

Chen Mei-hui, a professor at Pingtung University of Science and Technology and moderator of the "Economic undertakings Plan for Agricultural production in Mudan Township, Pingtung County," explains that these tree species are easy to obtain locally and grow faster, which can provide mushroom farmers with more choices. She believes that today's agricultural products should go out of the local characteristics, rather than following the trend. Who knows whether Gaoshi's specialty will be "Sun Liquidambar Lentinus edodes" in the future?

Zhang Weicheng, head of the afforestation production team of the Forestry Bureau, said that in addition to providing branches and trunks (instead of cutting off the whole tree) for the tribe to produce Lentinus edodes, the Forestry Bureau also provides the above five kinds of seedlings, which can be planted in the tribe and can become a source of wood in the future.

The survey of Lentinus edodes in Mudan Township: Dr. Lu Yingyi (left), Professor Chen Meihui (middle) and farmers. (courtesy of PUST)

The professional team leads the way and the tribe is expected to operate continuously.

The inauguration ceremony of the first "Community bacteria Center" of the Kaoshi tribe was held at the Forestry Bureau today (11). Chen Mei-hui says that the establishment of a strain center cannot be accomplished by one person or one village. Sustainable management of mountain villages is the focus of many people's concern, and a good strategy can achieve the "three lives" goals of ecology, life, and production. 95% of the area of Mudan Township is forest, and the economy under the forest should have been vigorously promoted.

The PUST team went to the countryside to promote the forest economy and vowed to work with the tribes to create an environment of symbiosis and co-prosperity with the forest. during the six cycle sessions, they won the support of many people and villagers. Chen Mei-hui says that at the beginning of the plan, many ethnic people hoped that the government would grant subsidies to hardware facilities, but after nearly half a year of communication, they could understand that the most valuable asset was actually the cooperation among industry, government, and school. in particular, the team of experts went to the place to accompany you. She is honored to be one of the helpers, bringing all kinds of professional strength to Peony Township, stirring up a brilliant spark.

In addition to Duan Mu Lentinus edodes, the team of PUST has also developed two kinds of special production for Mudan Township: "beekeeping under the forest" and "mountain animal husbandry and chicken raising". Pingshan University of Science and Technology provides bees, tribes to plant honey plants, and sets up a monitoring platform. Honey has been ordered before it is mass-produced. In order to make market segmentation, peony breeding is the red feather native chicken that has been preserved in Zhongxing University for more than 30 years. At the same time, breeding technology and expert guidance are also introduced. Native chicken with wild, strong disease resistance, tight meat, elasticity and low fat, with tribal shiitake mushrooms, "Lentinus edodes chicken soup" will certainly become a special dish of Kaoshi in the future.

The economy under the forest paves the way for young people to return home.

Pan Chuang-chih, head of Mudan Township, mentioned that the aborigines are an ethnic group born of mountains and forests, and they have a lot of wisdom to symbiosis with nature, and the forest is a grain warehouse. Although there was no such term as "economy under the forest" in the past, Lentinus edodes has always been an important industry of the Kaoshi tribe. Because of the dilemma of weakening bacteria and reducing the number of trees, Mudan Township once declined. now, under the trend of "more local and more international", peony promotes local creation, has the brightest community strain center, and young people who return home have acquired strain cultivation techniques, which can be used in the cultivation of Lentinus edodes in the tribal section.

If the cultivation of local talents can be implemented, the crisis of youth migration will be reduced. after the brand of the economy under the forest is established, coupled with the promotion of eco-tourism, the tribes are living everywhere. Wearing a wreath and traditional Paiwan costumes, Pan was ambitious to talk about the vision of the tribe, with a smile all over his face.

Before the end of the ceremony, Ljuku, an elder of the Mudan Township tribe, led the Paiwan people to sing ancient ballads, praying for God's care and the sustainable development of the strain center. These more than a dozen Paiwan people came to Taipei by tour bus from Mudan Township at 1: 00 am today. their harmonious rhyme and dancing made the participants feel the power from their hometown.

The Gaoshi tribe brought ancient ballads to sing to pray for the strain center. (courtesy of the Forestry Bureau)