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Abstract: Growing of cultivated mushroom, Agaricus bisporus (LANGE) SING, in Korea commenced at the beginning of 1963 under the following favorable conditions; adequate climatic conditions for mushroom growing, surplus of labour in rural distiricts, and abundant resources of raw materials for compost. With this background, in 1963 mushroom farms were supported financially by the government in the production and processing of mushroom; thereafter, the mushroom growing had been extended gradually to an industry of national scale, and total growing area in 1967 reached one million sq m of bed area, ten times more, in comparison with 1965. On the other hand, in spite of the increased growing area, mushroom production had shown repeated failures until 1967. The major reasons for the failures were analysed into the followings: (1) Adaptation of inadequate cultural practices to our circumstances by foreign technicians, (2) production of low yielding spawn due to deficiencies in techniques of spawn manufacturing, (3) unsuitable types of mushroom houses constructed from clay bricks. Moreover, most growers in the early days started on a small scale as part-time job and the farms were irregularly distributed around the rural districts. Under such a situation there were many problems on guidance of cultural practices, especially individual guidance due to shortage of extension workers. In attempts to solve the most urgent problems of mushroom growing to which in those days mushroom industry of Korea had confronted, the Korean government organized a special research facility in 1967; Department of Applied Mycology and Mushroom under the Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Office of Rural Development. The first work of the Institute was to survey the vast range of mushroom farms all over the country and to analyse the reasons for failure. With a foundation for such surveying and analysis, the Institute put emphasis on the development of mushroom growing techniques which were suitable for Korean circumstances and guidance of new techniques to the farmers. The year 1968 was a turning point, a year after organization of the Department. Unit yield showed an abrupt increasing tendency and average yield of farms through the country recorded 12.7 kg sq m of bed area (69% production efficiency as dry compost basis) by 1973. Very successful farmers have remarkable crops exceeding 20 kg per sq m (92% as production efficiency).
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