LIFE CYCLE AND GENETICS OF
BREEDING SYSTEM
In contrast to green plants,
most mushroom species are
haploid, and diploid phase is
normally transient and restricted
to the basidium. Paddy straw
mushroom has distinction from
other mushrooms. Being
homothallic species, the
individual uninucleate haploid
self fertile spores germinate to
produce mycelia and completes
the life cycle without the need of
a mating type factor. Clamp
connections are entirely absent in
Volvariella spp. In V. volvacea, the
hyphal cells are multinucleate,
clamp connections are absent
and basidiospore receives only
one nucleus each following
meiosis. Wide variation exists in
growth rate and other
characteristics of single spore
mycelia. It is still difficult to call
this mushroom as primary
homothallic as the research
carried out by different workers
have given different explanations
behind existence of self fertility
among majority of the in the market at a premium
price. In this stage, the whole
structure is wrapped by a coat,
which is called as the universal
veil (Fig. 1). Inside the veil,
closed pileus exists. As such
the stipe is not visible but in
longitudinal section of
mushroom it is visible.