Sylvan - ISMS USA Biosience Team

Sylvan to Showcase Valuable Research Findings at ISMS 2016

Global mushroom spawn innovator Sylvan will share some of its research and technical expertise in a series of presentations and papers at the International Society for Mushroom Science (ISMS) Congress 2016. Key members of the company’s R&D team will present some of the current innovative activities and studies being undertaken in Sylvan’s research centres across the world.

Dr Mark Wach, Vice President and Director of Sylvan Biosciences USA, will discuss methods for measuring oxygen uptake and respirometry of synthetic spawn products under a variety of growing conditions. Directly correlating to nutrition, genetics and biology, this tool is invaluable in new product development. It provides accurate evaluation of the materials’ growth rate, enabling scientists to streamline the product development process and create an optimised solution. Also highlighted at the congress will be the evolution of marker assisted breeding in the mushroom industry.

Dr Mark Loftus, Senior Research Scientist at Sylvan Biosciences USA, will present the current developments in modern molecular genetics and how these strategies are being used by the company to increase efficiency in new strain development. A highly flexible and targeted laboratory-based technology, marker assisted breeding enables Sylvan to develop innovative, superior quality products. In addition to the speaker presentations, Sylvan will contribute to the ISMS poster exhibition.

Dr Anne Rodier, Mushroom Breeding and Strain Protection Manager, Sylvan European Strain Support France, initiated this joint project involving the French research institute INRA (Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique) and Sylvan Europe. The poster outlines a study which evaluates the usefulness of cytometric tools as a new method of selecting homokaryons of Agaricus bisporus (button mushroom). Obtaining these homokaryons is essential to breeding programs and often appears as a major bottleneck for this species due to its unfavourable life cycle. The poster presents the application of the flow cytometry technology to isolate homokaryons, compares several methods and discusses the advantages and limits.

Sylvan is also associated with a study to be presented at ISMS by Dutch university researchers. The company contributed to the analytical method development for mycelial biomass quantification in compost during spawn run. Dr Barbara Bonnet, Project Manager Biotechnology Sylvan Europe, co-authored the paper on increased carbohydrate degradation in compost during commercial mushroom production of Agaricus bisporus, and the results of the research will be presented at the Congress. “The ISMS Congress is an important event for the mushroom industry and Sylvan is pleased to join the scientific community to discuss the key themes in our field,”says Mark Wach. “As industry leaders in this area, we always value the opportunity to share knowledge and discuss best practices in the industry. “We look forward to meeting delegates at the event and hearing about the new developments in mushrooms to facilitate further progression within the industry,” Wach adds.

Source: Sylvan Inc. (x)