study the role of thermophilic fungi in composting for the white button

abstract in composting process for the white button mushroom, in addition to chemical reactions of complex compounds present in straw, which provide simple compounds for the mushroom, thermophilic microorganisms, having accumulated n2 and inorganic matter during the composting processes, offer the microbial biomass as a secondary nutritional source to be consumed by the fungus agaricus bisporus. this work was aiming at identifying the thermophilic fungi promoting a. bisporus' mycelia growth. theremophilic fungi were isolated from mushroom compost, and pre-colonized separately on sterile compost in test tubes as well as on compost extract – glucose agar plates; and beneficial effect of each fungus was evaluated regarding growth promotion and extension rate stimulation of agaricus bisporus mycelia. identification of the fungi was achieved by morphological methods and molecular means (i.e. the universal primers its1 and its4 used for amplification of the its1, 5.8s and its2 region of the rdna repeat unit). the thermophilic fungi were identified as type 2 isolates of scytalidium thermophilumm. the results indicated a significant increase in mycelial growth of agaricus bisporus, compared to the control, on both pre-colonized sterile compost in test tubes and compost extract – glucose agar medium (p < 0.05). it was observed that agaricus bisporus mycelia feed on scytalidium thermophilumm. providing appropriate condition for growth of scytalidium thermophilumm will increase the yield of agaricus bisporus considerably.