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Abstract: The higher fungi have been studied by many investigators as the edible fungi could be cultured artificially everywhere. However, the elementary researches on the fungi have been very rare. Recently, many papers are physiologically and biochemically making clear the growth of mycelium and the formation of fruit-bodies. The important problems of the artificial cultivation of the edible fungi are those concerned with the growth of mycelium and the formation of fruit-bodies. The mycelia, cultured in the medium, are inoculated in a log-wood and the log-wood which is prevalent with the mycelia makes a bed log of the fungus. The good bed logs, which do not have bed log failures and which form fruit-bodies in a short period, usually show the active growth of mycelia very soon. The fungus, hetrotrophy, does not show photosynthesis. Therefore, the cellulose in the logwood is considered to be the energy source for the growth of mycelium. On the other hand, it has been reported that inorganic nitrogen compounds are used for the growth of the mycelium. The fungus has to hydrolyse the cellulose as the nutrition for the growth of hyphae. The cellulolytic enzymes of the fungus is considered to be very active. Eriksson et al. (1968), Nishizawa et al. (1952), Reese et al (1953), TOogawa(1954), and others have studied on the cellulolytic enzymes of various fungi. On the other hand, the enzymes in higher plants has been demonstrated by Abeles (1964) and Osborne (1967). In general, the cellulase is widely found in the plant kingdom. Judging from the results of studies on fungi, however, the methods and trends of the investigation of the cellulolytic enzyme in the fungi are different from those in higher plants. The enzymes in the fungi were established with the distinction between C1 and Cx-cellulases. Recently, two cellulases were shown in higher plants (Lewis, 1973). As described above, it is very important that the mycelium can elongate in a log-wood as soon as possible after the inoculation in the log. Therefore, it is necessary that the cellulolytic enzymes of the mycelia cultured with the synthetic medium should have the high activity. The ethylene affected the abscission of higher plants and it was reported that the gas was due to activate the cellulase in the tissue (Abeles, 1968). The authors of the present paper studied the cellulase activity of the fungi and the effect of ethylene on the cellulase of the fungi.
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