A high-yield morchella strain lmy-1 and breeding and application thereof

Abstract

This invention discloses a high-yielding morel mushroom strain LMY-1, as well as its breeding and application. Morel asculenta (L.)Pers LMY-1 was deposited on November 6, 2025, at the China Center for Type Culture Collection (CCTCC), Wuhan University, Wuhan, China, with accession number CCTCC NO: M20252475. This strain contains the ITS nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1. This invention addresses the problems of unstable strain quality, extensive cultivation management, insufficient pest and disease control, and a single cultivation model in existing technologies, which restrict the development of the industry. This invention, through targeted breeding and characteristic optimization, yields strain LMY-1, which has high yield and a large cap-to-stem ratio, helping to adjust the morel mushroom cultivation structure and improve the efficiency of morel mushroom cultivation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a morel mushroom strain, specifically to a high-yielding morel mushroom strain LMY-1, and its breeding and application. Background Technology

[0002] Morel mushrooms ( Morchella esculenta (L.) Pers Taxonomically, morels belong to the phylum Fungi, subphylum Ascomycotina, class Discomycetes, order Pezizales, family Morchellaceae, and genus Morchella. They are considered one of the world's four most famous wild fungi, named for their honeycomb-like pitted cap resembling a sheep's stomach. Morels are widely distributed, commonly found in the humus layer of broad-leaved or mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forests in Yunnan, Sichuan, and Tibet, my country. They are a rare edible and medicinal fungus. Rich in nutrients, with a crude protein content exceeding 20%, they are rich in 18 amino acids (including 8 essential amino acids), organic germanium, and various vitamins and minerals. They possess pharmacological activities such as enhancing immunity, anti-fatigue, and anti-tumor effects, and are considered a high-grade health food in the international market. Morel mushrooms are known to have high species diversity, with nearly 100 species worldwide. Common cultivated varieties in my country include *Morchella esculenta*, *Morchella spp.*, and *Morchella spp.*. Different species and varieties vary in mushroom shape, nutritional composition, and environmental adaptability. For example, *Morchella esculenta* has a higher protein content, while *Morchella spp.* is richer in minerals. Selecting and breeding high-yielding, stable-yielding, and high-nutritional-value morel strains is a core task for promoting the industry's development.

[0003] Due to the easy degeneration of morel spawn and poor fruiting stability, traditional cultivation suffers from problems such as long cycle and low yield. In addition, the rotation mode of morel with rice and melons (such as the "rice-mushroom" system) can effectively utilize winter fallow fields, reduce the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and promote sustainable agricultural development. Existing literature 1 (Liang Haiyan, Hao Zhe, Zhang Yanfei, et al. Research on key technologies for high-quality and efficient cultivation of morel in the windy and sandy areas of northern China [J]. Shaanxi Agricultural Sciences, 2022, 68(12):61-67) selected common varieties such as morel, used greenhouses or winter fallow fields as cultivation sites, adopted broadcasting method for planting, supplemented with M2 nutrient formula, controlled soil moisture at 20%, suitable temperature and humidity and 90% shading rate, and partially adopted the "rice-mushroom" rotation mode to achieve seasonal production. However, the technical solution corresponding to this literature lacks regionally adapted, high-quality strains with independent intellectual property rights. The low standardization of strain production leads to poor stability. Environmental control relies on experience, key parameters are not precisely controlled, soil treatment methods are unscientific, and pest and disease control measures are inefficient. The supporting technologies for the new crop rotation model are immature, making it difficult to achieve continuous production throughout the year, resulting in large fluctuations in yield and quality.

[0004] In summary, the morel mushroom industry currently faces four core problems: First, insufficient standardization in spawn production, with small-scale workshops leading to inconsistent quality and poor stability. There is a lack of high-quality, proprietary varieties suitable for different regions, and the liquid spawn production technology is immature, severely hindering industrialization. Second, cultivation management relies heavily on experience, lacking precise environmental control techniques. Key parameters such as temperature, humidity, and light are not precisely controlled, water management is not standardized, soil treatment techniques contain misconceptions, and the pest and disease control system is incomplete, resulting in unstable primordia differentiation and high mortality rates among young mushrooms. Third, effective pest and disease control methods are lacking. Growers do not pay enough attention to soil disinfection or use improper methods, and the indiscriminate use of pesticides is widespread. Continuous cropping obstacles are prominent, causing soil microbial ecological imbalance, leading to a high risk of pests and diseases, and a lack of safe and efficient specialized control agents and technical solutions. Fourth, the cultivation model is singular. The traditional "winter sowing and spring harvesting" model has a production cycle of 120-150 days. New models such as understory planting and grain-mushroom rotation have immature supporting technologies and limited promotion scope. Furthermore, cultivation facilities are rudimentary, resulting in weak resistance to natural disasters, low land utilization, and large yield fluctuations. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a high-yielding morel mushroom strain LMY-1, as well as its breeding and application. This invention solves the problems of unstable strain quality, extensive cultivation management, insufficient pest and disease control, and a single cultivation model in existing technologies, which restrict the development of the industry. Through targeted breeding and characteristic optimization, strain LMY-1 with high yield and a large cap-to-stem ratio is obtained, which helps to adjust the morel mushroom planting structure and improve the efficiency of morel mushroom cultivation.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a high-yielding morel strain, which ( Morchella asculenta (L.) Pers LMY-1 was deposited on November 6, 2025 at the China Center for Type Culture Collection, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China, with accession number CCTCC NO: M20252475.

[0007] Preferably, the strain contains the ITS nucleotide sequence as shown in SEQ ID NO:1.

[0008] Preferably, the mycelium of this strain is white and dense on PDA medium at 17°C, with an average daily growth rate of 2.5~3.6 cm.

[0009] Preferably, the fruiting body of this strain has a conical or elongated conical cap with a height of 12±0.6 cm, a diameter of 5±0.4 cm, a stipe length of 4.5±0.5 cm, and a cap height to stipe length ratio greater than 2.0.

[0010] This invention provides a method for breeding high-yielding morel strains as described above, the method comprising: (1) Using wild-collected fruiting bodies as parents, pure cultured mycelia were obtained by tissue isolation method and inoculated onto PDA medium plates. The plates were incubated at 15±1℃, and colonies were screened. The PDA medium plate consisted of potato, glucose, agar powder, potassium dihydrogen phosphate, magnesium sulfate, and water. The amounts of potato, glucose, agar powder, potassium dihydrogen phosphate, magnesium sulfate, and water were 200g, 20g, 15g, 1g, 0.5g, and 1000g, respectively. 13ml of PDA medium was poured into each petri dish, and colonies were inoculated onto the PDA medium plate using a 0.4cm diameter punch. Inoculation was performed at a volume ratio of approximately 0.79% mycelia to PDA medium.

[0011] (2) The selected colonies were inoculated onto PDA medium plates and cultured at 15±1℃. Mycelia were picked and purified to obtain the purified strain LMY-1. The PDA medium plates consisted of potato, glucose, agar powder, and water. The masses of potato, glucose, agar powder, and water were 200g, 20g, 15g, and 1000g, respectively. 15ml of PDA medium was poured into each petri dish, and colonies were inoculated onto the PDA medium plates using a 0.4cm diameter punch. The inoculation was carried out at a volume ratio of approximately 0.79% between mycelia and PDA medium.

[0012] (3) The purified strain was inoculated into the culture medium and a fruiting test was conducted to screen and obtain strain LMY-1.

[0013] Preferably, in step (3), the cultivation conditions for the fruiting experiment are as follows: the fruiting experiment is conducted in a cultivation room at 15±1℃ and 70% relative humidity in the dark; after the mycelium has grown to form sclerotia, the fruiting experiment is conducted in a greenhouse at 15~18℃ and 85%~90% relative humidity, and the fruiting experiment is conducted with diffused light: 10~100 lx diffused light for 10~12h, and after the fruiting body growth period, 800~1000 lx diffused light for 10~12h is provided.

[0014] Preferably, in step (3), the components of the culture medium are wheat, cottonseed hulls, rice hulls, wheat bran, gypsum, and lime; the mass fractions of wheat, cottonseed hulls, rice hulls, wheat bran, gypsum, and lime are 70%, 10%, 10%, 8%, 1%, and 1%, respectively. During inoculation, the volume ratio of the bacterial strain to the culture medium in the cultivation bag is 1:50.

[0015] Preferably, the breeding method further includes: conducting a cultivation experiment on strain LMY-1, collecting the first batch of mushroom fruiting bodies and simultaneously measuring the agronomic traits, yield and quality of the control variety, and screening out the target strain LMY-1 with excellent comprehensive traits.

[0016] This invention provides an application of the high-yielding morel strain as described above in food processing.

[0017] This invention provides an application of the high-yielding morel strain as described above as a parent in hybridization breeding.

[0018] This invention discloses a high-yielding morel mushroom strain LMY-1, along with its breeding and application, which solves the problems of unstable strain quality, extensive cultivation management, insufficient pest and disease control, and a single cultivation model in existing technologies, thus restricting the industry's development. It has the following advantages: 1. The morel strain LMY-1 obtained by this invention has a regular fruiting body morphology and a clear honeycomb structure on the cap. The average yield of morel strain LMY-1 is 7.8% higher than that of the control variety Qimei morel, and the ratio of cap height to stipe length is 12% higher than that of the control. It has better agronomic traits, yield and quality than the control variety and has good promotion and application value.

[0019] 2. This invention obtains strain LMY-1 with high yield and large cap-to-stem ratio through targeted breeding and characteristic optimization, which can enrich the existing morel germplasm resources, help adjust the morel planting structure, and improve the efficiency of morel planting. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a photograph of the mycelial morphology of the strain LMY-1 of this invention.

[0021] Figure 2 This is a photograph of the sclerotium characteristics of the strain LMY-1 of this invention during cultivation.

[0022] Figure 3 This is a cross-section of the fruiting body of strain LMY-1 of the present invention. Figure 1 .

[0023] Figure 4 This is a cross-section of the fruiting body of strain LMY-1 of the present invention. Figure 2 .

[0024] Figure 5 This is a cross-section of the fruiting body of strain LMY-1 of the present invention. Figure 3 .

[0025] Figure 6 This is a diagram showing the morphology and size of the fruiting body of the strain LMY-1 of this invention.

[0026] Figure 7 This is a phylogenetic tree diagram of the strains of this invention.

[0027] Figure 8 This is a photograph of the harvested strain LMY-1 of this invention.

[0028] Figure 9This is a photograph of the LMY-1 strain of the present invention being grown. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0030] Example 1: Obtaining the high-yielding morel strain LMY-1 This invention relates to the tissue isolation and systematic selection of superior fruiting bodies of wild morel mushrooms. The wild morel mushrooms were collected from mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forests at an altitude of 2800 meters in Muli Tibetan Autonomous County, Liangshan Prefecture, Sichuan Province. This strain possesses excellent characteristics such as intact mushroom shape, clear honeycomb structure of the cap, and thick flesh, and exhibits good ecological adaptability in the wild environment. Preliminary cultivation trials showed that this strain has a concentrated fruiting time, regular fruiting body morphology, and high commercial value and development potential; therefore, it was selected as the starting material for breeding.

[0031] The specific steps for strain selection are as follows: (1) Organ separation Select high-quality fruiting bodies of wild morel mushrooms with regular shape and free from pests and diseases. Disinfect the surface with 75% ethanol under aseptic conditions, then rinse three times with sterile water. Take the internal tissue from the junction of the cap and stipe, cut it into 0.3cm × 0.3cm pieces, and inoculate them onto PDA medium plates. Incubate at 15±1℃ for 5–7 days. After mycelial germination, select vigorous mycelia from the colony edges and inoculate them onto PDA medium plates. The volume ratio of mycelia to PDA medium should be approximately 0.79% (the inoculated mycelia are punched using a 0.4cm diameter punch, and the medium plate diameter is 9cm). Purify the culture by incubating at 15±1℃ for 5–7 days to obtain a pure strain. The PDA medium plate composition and content are as follows: 200g potato, 20g glucose, 15g agar powder, 1g potassium dihydrogen phosphate, 0.5g magnesium sulfate, and 1000g water.

[0032] (2) Observation of mycelial characteristics The purified strain was inoculated onto PDA medium plates (the volume ratio of mycelium to PDA medium was approximately 0.79%), and mycelial growth was observed. The mycelium was white, dense, and exhibited strong growth, with an average daily growth rate of 3.5–4.0 mm. The PDA plate composition and content of each component were as follows: 200 g potato, 20 g glucose, 15 g agar powder, and 1000 g water.

[0033] (3) Initial screening of fruiting test The strain was inoculated into the culture medium in cultivation bags for a fruiting experiment. The culture medium formula (by dry weight percentage) was: 70% wheat, 10% cottonseed hulls, 10% rice hulls, 8% wheat bran, 1% gypsum, and 1% lime. 17cm × 33cm polypropylene spawn bags were used, each containing 0.5kg of culture medium, and sterilized at 121℃ for 2 hours. Inoculation was performed (strain to culture medium volume ratio in the cultivation bag was 1:50), and the inoculated cultivation bags were placed in a cultivation room at 15±1℃ and 75% relative humidity in the dark.

[0034] Once the mycelium has fully colonized the bags and formed sclerotia, the bags are transferred to the fruiting greenhouse. The temperature is maintained at 15-18℃, and the relative humidity is kept at 85-90%. During the primordia formation stage, the bags are provided with diffused light at an intensity of 10-100 lx for 10-12 hours, covered with a shade net. After the fruiting bodies develop, they are provided with diffused light at an intensity of 800-1000 lx for 10-12 hours. The fruiting behavior of the strains is observed and recorded regularly. Strains with good mushroom shape (regular, pagoda-shaped morel mushrooms without deformities or defects) and uniform fruiting (uniform overall growth of morel mushrooms) are selected for the next round of screening.

[0035] (4) Second screening of superior strains The superior strains obtained from the initial screening were subjected to repeated fruiting experiments, with three replicates for each strain, each replicate covering an area of ​​2 square meters. The yield, shape, and weight of the first flush of mushrooms were recorded, and strains with excellent overall traits were selected. Details are shown in Table 1.

[0036] Table 1 Initial screening results of dominant strains As shown in Table 1, the LMY-1 strain produced fruit well, with a single plant weighing more than the control strain Qimei, with an average weight of 10-12g.

[0037] Identification of strain LMY-1 in Experiment Example 1 I. Morphological characteristics 1. Mycelial morphological characteristics The strain LMY-1 of this invention has dense and vigorous hyphae, is pure white in color, and exhibits strong hyphal growth. On PDA medium, it presents uniform, fluffy colonies with neat edges, such as... Figure 1 The image shown is a physical diagram of the mycelial morphology of the strain LMY-1 of this invention.

[0038] 2. Characteristics of sclerotium formation like Figure 2 The image shown is a photograph of the sclerotium characteristics of the LMY-1 strain of this invention during cultivation. Figure 2It can be seen that strain LMY-1 produces a large number of sclerotia during cultivation, which are evenly distributed and granular in shape, ranging in color from milky white to light yellow. The sclerotia are fuller and denser than those of the control strain, *Morchella esculenta*.

[0039] 3. Morphological characteristics of sub-entities The cap is conical or oblong-conical, with a regularly arranged honeycomb-like pit on the surface. The longitudinal section shows that the pits are of moderate depth. The LMY-1 strain has a cap height of 9±0.6 cm, a diameter of 5±0.4 cm, and a color ranging from grayish-brown to brown. The flesh is 1.2±0.5 cm thick and firm. The ridges on the cap surface are grayish-brown and possess the characteristic aroma of morels. The stipe is 4.5±0.5 cm long and 3±0.2 cm thick, nearly cylindrical, with a smooth, milky-white surface. The ratio of cap height to stipe length is 3:1. The morphology and cross-section of the fruiting body are shown in the figures below. Figures 3-6 .

[0040] like Figure 3 As shown, a cross-section of the fruiting body of strain LMY-1 of the present invention. Figure 1 .Depend on Figure 3 It can be seen that the cut surface of morel mushroom LMY-1 is pagoda-shaped, the cap is brownish-brown, and the diameter is 5-6cm.

[0041] like Figure 4 As shown, a cross-section of the fruiting body of strain LMY-1 of the present invention. Figure 2 .Depend on Figure 4 It can be seen that the cut surface of the morel mushroom LMY-1 is trapezoidal, white, and has an uneven texture.

[0042] like Figure 5 As shown, a cross-section of the fruiting body of strain LMY-1 of the present invention. Figure 3 .Depend on Figure 5 It can be seen that the cap of morel mushroom LMY-1 is 1.5~2cm thick.

[0043] like Figure 6 The image shows the morphology and size of the fruiting body of strain LMY-1 of this invention. Figure 6 It is known that the morel mushroom LMY-1 is about 17cm tall, with the cap about 12cm and the stem 4-5cm.

[0044] like Figure 8 The image shown is a photograph of the harvested strain LMY-1 of this invention.

[0045] like Figure 9 The image shown is a photograph of the LMY-1 strain of the present invention being grown.

[0046] Depend on Figures 8-9It is known that the morel mushroom LMY-1 of this invention has white, dense, and robust mycelium with strong climbing ability, abundant and evenly distributed sclerotia, strong resistance to contaminating fungi, and robust mycelial growth. The fruiting bodies are mostly solitary, with pagoda-shaped caps, brownish-red in color, and uniformly sized honeycomb-like pits with distinct ridges on the surface; the stipes are white, thick, and solid, with a firm texture, and the mushrooms are well-shaped and have excellent commercial characteristics. The fruiting is uniform, with a long growth period and strong adaptability to the cultivation environment. The morel mushroom LMY-1 of this invention has large fruiting bodies, with an average fresh weight of 60-70g per fruiting body, uniform size, a high proportion of large mushrooms, and low rates of deformed and dead mushrooms, resulting in excellent fruiting and commercial mushroom rates. Under conventional cultivation methods, the yield of fresh mushrooms can reach 420kg per mu (approximately 0.067 hectares), with stable yield and outstanding high productivity, demonstrating high production and application value. The morel mushroom LMY-1 of this invention has thick, crisp, and tender fruiting bodies with a delicate aroma and rich flavor. The dried product has plump wrinkles, a natural color, and an attractive appearance. It boasts a high drying rate and is resistant to storage and transportation. It possesses excellent nutritional quality, is suitable for both fresh consumption and drying, and has high market value.

[0047] II. Molecular biological characteristics The mycelium of strain LMY-1 obtained in this invention was subjected to DNA extraction and ITS sequence amplification and sequencing by Beijing Qingke Biotechnology Co., Ltd. The ITS sequence of strain LMY-1 was obtained by sequencing, as shown in SEQ ID NO:1.

[0048] Identify simple repeated sequence markers (ISSRs) in the LMY-1 strain and construct a phylogenetic tree based on the ITS sequences, such as... Figure 7 The diagram shown is a phylogenetic tree of the strains of this invention. Figure 7 It can be seen that morel mushroom LMY-1 is different from the other six morel mushroom series and belongs to the seven morel mushroom series.

[0049] The ITS sequence of strain LMY-1, as shown in SEQ ID NO:1, is as follows:

[0050] Based on the above morphological characteristics and ITS sequence classification and identification studies, the strain LMY-1 of this invention is determined to belong to the phylum Ascomycota, class Pezizomycetes, order Pezizales, family Morchellaceae, and genus Morchella. The strain of this invention... Morchella asculenta (L.) Pers LMY-1 was deposited on November 6, 2025, at the China Center for Type Culture Collection (CCTCC), Wuhan University, Wuhan, China, with accession number CCTCC NO: M20252475.

[0051] Experimental Example 2: Comparative Analysis of Basic Characteristics of High-Yielding Morel Strains and *Morchella esculenta* This experimental example compares and analyzes the high-yielding morel strain LMY-1 and strain Qimei morel provided by this invention in terms of three aspects: basic characteristics of the strains, crude polysaccharide content, and protein content. The determination of the basic characteristics of the strains is in accordance with "People's Republic of China Agricultural Industry Standard NY / T 2629-2014, Morel Strains". The crude polysaccharide content of the morel fruiting bodies is determined by the sulfuric acid-phenol method, and the protein content is determined by the Kjeldahl method.

[0052] Table 2: Mycelial growth rate and fruiting body morphology of LMY-1 The results are shown in Table 2. In comparison, the morel strain LMY-1... The high-yielding morel strain LMY-1 exhibits rapid mycelial growth; the fruiting body has a milky-white stipe and a predominantly grayish-brown to yellowish-brown cap. The average yield of fresh mushrooms from strain LMY-1 is 600-700 kg / mu, exceeding that of the control variety, *Morchella esculenta*, with a specific average yield increase of 7.8% and a cap height to stipe length ratio that is 12% higher. The cap has a clear and regular honeycomb structure, and its longitudinal section is conical. The stipe is nearly cylindrical and uniform in thickness. The amino acid weight content is 95.2% higher than that of *Morchella esculenta*, while the protein content is slightly lower. LMY-1 demonstrates superior agronomic traits, yield, and quality compared to *Morchella esculenta*.

[0053] Although the present invention has been described in detail through the preferred embodiments above, it should be understood that the above description should not be considered as a limitation of the present invention. Various modifications and substitutions to the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art after reading the above description. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A high-yielding morel mushroom strain, characterized in that, This strain ( Morchella asculenta (L.) Pers LMY-1 was deposited on November 6, 2025 at the China Center for Type Culture Collection, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China, with accession number CCTCC NO: M20252475.

2. The high-yielding morel strain according to claim 1, characterized in that, This strain contains the ITS nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO:

1.

3. The high-yielding morel strain according to claim 1, characterized in that, The mycelia of this strain are white and dense on PDA medium at 17°C, with an average daily growth rate of 2.5~3.6 cm.

4. The high-yielding morel strain according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fruiting body of this strain has a conical or elongated conical cap, with a height of 12±0.6 cm, a diameter of 5±0.4 cm, and a stipe length of 4.5±0.5 cm. The ratio of cap height to stipe length is greater than 2.

0.

5. A method for breeding a high-yielding morel mushroom strain as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, This breeding method includes: (1) Using wild-collected fruiting bodies as parents, pure culture mycelia were obtained by tissue isolation method, inoculated on PDA medium plates, and cultured at 15±1℃ to screen colonies; (2) The selected colonies were inoculated onto PDA medium plates and cultured at 15±1℃. The mycelia were picked and purified to obtain the purified strain. (3) The purified strain was inoculated into the culture medium and a fruiting test was conducted to screen and obtain strain LMY-1.

6. The breeding method according to claim 5, characterized in that, In step (3), the cultivation conditions for the fruiting experiment are as follows: the fruiting experiment is conducted in a cultivation room at 15±1℃ and 70% relative humidity in the dark; after the mycelium has grown to form sclerotia, the fruiting experiment is conducted in a greenhouse at 15~18℃ and 85%~90% relative humidity, and the fruiting experiment is conducted under diffused light.

7. The breeding method according to claim 5, characterized in that, In step (3), the components of the culture medium are wheat, cottonseed hulls, rice hulls, wheat bran, gypsum and lime; the mass fractions of wheat, cottonseed hulls, rice hulls, wheat bran, gypsum and lime are 70%, 10%, 10%, 8%, 1% and 1%, respectively.

8. The breeding method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The breeding method also includes: conducting cultivation experiments on strain LMY-1, collecting the first batch of mushroom fruiting bodies and simultaneously measuring agronomic traits, yield and quality with the control variety, and screening out the target strain LMY-1 with excellent comprehensive traits.

9. The application of a high-yielding morel strain as described in any one of claims 1 to 4 in food processing.

10. The application of a high-yielding morel strain as described in any one of claims 1 to 4 as a parent in hybridization breeding.

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