Objective  Growth and characteristics of 5 strains of Pleurotus pulmonarius and Trichoderma harzianum in cocultivation on different media at different temperatures were studied for the potential application in the mushroom cultivation.

  Method  The growth rate and plate confrontation culture methods were used to observe the mycelial growth or antagonism of 5 strain of P. pulmonarius and T. harzianum in cocultivation on different media at different temperatures.

  Result   Under same culture conditions, the mycelial growth of the mushroom strain 86-1 significantly differed from the rest of the 5 strains. The growth of Y710-14 at 25 ℃and 28 ℃ showed no significant differences but did from other 3 tested temperatures. The mycelial growth rates of X98ly-13, XD-13, 903-1, and 86-1 at 25-30 ℃did not differ significantly but significantly at 32 ℃and 34 ℃. Both T. harzianum and P. pulmonarius grew well at 25-32 ℃. The former grew significantly faster than the latter, and thus, covered all over the latter in time of coculture on medium. However, no apparent antagonism between the two species was evident. Insofar as culture medium is concerned, PDYA provided the strongest mycelial growth followed by PDSYA, while PDSA and PDA being average. Among the various strains, 86-1 grew the slowest on any of the media. On PDA or PDSYA, X98ly-13, Y710-14, XD-13, and 903-1 grew without any significant differences, so did X98ly-13, Y710-14, or 903-1 on PDSA. When starch was present as an ingredient in PDSA, the strains of mushrooms appeared whiter with milky white color, and no significant differences on the mycelia growth rate of X98ly-13, Y710-14, and 901-1.

  Conclusion  The optimum growth temperature for Y710-14 was 30 ℃, and for the other strain 25 ℃. Both P. pulmonarius and T. harzianum grew well in same range of temperature, but the mushroom mycelia grew slower with lower tolerance to high temperature than T. harzianum. The medium containing yeast powder produced thicker mycelia with the strongest vitality, while that consisted of starch, whiter in color than otherwise. It appeared that there was an application potential of the cocultivation of P. pulmonarius and T. harzianum for the mushroom industry.