Selenium affected mycelial growth and also the shape of the
mushroom (Fig. 1). In substrates with Se concentrations greater
than 12.8 mg kg1, mushrooms possessed larger stipes and smaller
caps than in media without Se or with low Se concentrations
(Fig. 1). In addition, an unpleasant smell was observed in mushrooms cultivated in substrates with Se concentrations higher than
25.4 mg kg1. The shape alterations of the P. ostreatus mushrooms
differed from those observed in Lentinula edodes, which did not
present any differences in the cap and stipe diameters and stipe
length when enriched with Se (Nunes, 2005). However, those
authors observed darker caps in Se-enriched mushrooms.