Method for cultivation of Lentinus edodes

A method for artificially cultivating Lentinus edodes by using an artificial solid granular or fibrous culture medium, which comprises inoculating a sterilized bed of said culture medium with fungus seed of Lentinus edodes, cultivating said bed to generate hyphae of Lentinus edodes on the surface of said bed, applying an air-permeable but essentially imperforate film or film pieces of a coating material which is not decomposed by hyphae of Lentinus edodes to localized areas of said surface of said bed before said hyphae become brown so that said areas are contacted by said film or film pieces to prevent ambient air from directly contacting said areas while permitting air to permeate through the film or film pieces into contact with said areas, continuing the cultivation of said bed to cause browning of exposed hyphae while the hyphae directly below said pieces of coating material remain white, then subjecting the bed to mushroom-growing conditions effective to form fruit bodies of Lentinus edodes which grow from the hyphae below said pieces of coating material.