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Stimulatory growth effect of lightning strikes applied in the vicinity of shiitake mushroom bed logs

Since ancient times, the anomalous occurrence of mushrooms has been observed in and around locations struck by lightning. Based on this phenomenon, various cultivation techniques using a high voltage to cultivate shiitake mushroom in bed log (wood) have been proposed. Undoubtedly, the fruiting capac...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of physics. D, Applied physics Applied physics, 2020-05, Vol.53 (20), p.204002
Main Authors: Shimizu, Hiroyuki, Hiraguri, Takefumi, Kimoto, Masanori, Ota, Kenko, Shindo, Takuya, Hoshino, Yuki, Takaki, Koichi
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Since ancient times, the anomalous occurrence of mushrooms has been observed in and around locations struck by lightning. Based on this phenomenon, various cultivation techniques using a high voltage to cultivate shiitake mushroom in bed log (wood) have been proposed. Undoubtedly, the fruiting capacity of shiitake mushrooms is significantly promoted by direct application of a high voltage to the cultivation bed logs. However, mushroom bed logs are rarely struck directly by lightning in the natural environment. Thus, it is important to devise a stimulation method that matches conditions in the natural environment. In this study, we performed experiments involving indirect lightning strikes using a new method that mimics the natural environment as closely as possible. Specifically, we used the electric discharge created by an impulse voltage generator to create lightning but did not apply it directly to the cultivation bed log. Instead, the cultivation bed logs were placed a few meters away from the lightning rod. Subsequently, the fruiting capacity of the shiitake mushrooms with and without the indirect lightning strikes was compared. The experimental results indicated that, with the indirect lightning strikes, the extent of shiitake fruiting almost doubled compared to the case without the indirect lightning strikes. Furthermore, the results confirm that an increased shiitake mushroom production is possible using lightning strikes, even if the associated high voltages are not applied directly to the bed logs.
ISSN:0022-3727
1361-6463
DOI:10.1088/1361-6463/ab7627