Objective  Growth and quality of Ganoderma lucidum cultivated at fields under varied relay cropping methods were evaluated for the planting practice at tea plantations.

  Method  Under the vertical and horizontal cultivation modes of relay cropping, G. lucidum were grown to compare with the conventional greenhouse cultivation. The growth, commercial properties, and quality of the fungi were compared.

  Result  Under the relay cropping, G. lucidum grew to maturity, released spores, and gave commercial appearance similarly to the greenhouse cultivation. However, compared to the conventional planting, the vertical relay cropping method required 25 d longer to reach maturation with a significantly reduced germination rate by 12.8% and the biotransformation rate by 10.48%; while the horizontal method caused a 18 d delay in maturation with significantly declined rates of germination by 14.5% and biotransformation by 4.49%. On the other hand, the contents of polysaccharides, total triterpenes, and amino acids in G. lucidum were with no significant difference with the greenhouse cultivation. The polysaccharide content of the vertical relay cropped G. lucidum was 1.09%, which was a 9.90% higher than that of control; and, that of the horizontal relay cropped G. lucidum was 1.08%, which was a 9.29% higher. The vertical relay cropping produced 1.19% triterpenes in the fruiting body, which was an increase of 11.48% over control; while the horizontal cultivation delivered 1.21% with an increase of 13.55% over control.

  Conclusion  Although relay cropping G. lucidum with tea bushes in a plantation hindered the growth of the fungi with somewhat reduced commercial appeal, it improved the quality of the fungal product.