SINOPSIS

The aim of this work was to evaluate wood chips from vineyard prunings (VPs) as a potential substrate in cultures of Ganoderma spp. Biological efficiency (BE), production rate (PR), yield, and protein and fat contents of basidiomes increased when the wild strains G. oerstedii and G. subincrustatum, which were isolated from the Sonoran Desert, were cultivated on VPs. The mineral content of the basidiomes varied depending on the strain and substrate. The carbohydrate and phenol contents of the different substrate combinations and of the basidiomes were similar among strains. However, the carbohydrate and phenol contents of the substrates did not correlate with an increase in BE. Conversely, the high availability of protein, fat, and hemicellulose in VPs positively correlated with increases in BE, in yield, and in the protein and fat contents of the basidiomes of the wild strains. Our results clearly demonstrate that, in comparison with the traditional substrate of oak wood, VPs improve the production and biochemical composition of basidiomes. Therefore, cultivation of Ganoderma spp. on VPs is an environmentally friendly strategy for increasing their nutritional value and for cultivating these mushrooms for other biotechnological applications.