%0 Journal Article %A Leonardi, Pamela %A Puliga, Federico %A Iotti, Mirco %A Piattoni, Federica %A Zambonelli, Alessandra %D 2018 %I Begell House %K fruiting ability, Ganoderma lucidum, lingzhi or reishi mushroom, medicinal mushrooms, mycelial growth rate, preservation, -120°C %N 7 %P 677-683 %R 10.1615/IntJMedMushrooms.2018026535 %T Ultra-Low Freezing to Preserve the Lingzhi or Reishi Medicinal Mushroom Ganoderma lucidum (Agaricomycetes) %U https://www.dl.begellhouse.com/journals/708ae68d64b17c52,640fd41946e8b89d,5e7ca4e46bcea3f3.html %V 20 %X Ganoderma lucidum (Curtis) P. Karst., commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine, is characterized by strong genetic and phenotypic variability that reflects its active components. To preserve such a source of pharmacologically active metabolites, specimens must be collected from different geographic regions and their genetic integrity ensured during storage. To this aim, we tested the effect of ultra-low freezing (ULF) at -120°C on the vitality, mycelial growth rate, and fruiting ability of 3 Italian strains of G. lucidum. Results showed that all strains reacted positively to ULF, demonstrating an ability to recover after 3 months of storage without morphological or physiological changes occurring, regardless of treatment. The successful storage of G. lucidum at -120°C opens up the possibility to create a germplasm bank to collect strains of this medicinal fungus from throughout Europe, thereby contributing to the maintenance of its diversity. %8 2018-07-25