Mycology and Mushroom Production

Use The CAT for finding books owned by Penn State.

CAT Search Tips:  The CAT is the list of what is owned by Penn State Libraries. Go to the Browse function if you are looking for a specific title or author (type last name first). Go to the Keyword function and combine terms to search on a topic then use the subject headings from relevant books for additional search terms. Write down the call number and location for any book you want. For more detailed searching information go to the Quick Guide to the CAT.

Suggested CAT Search Terms: Try searching for specific families of mushrooms or fungi (i.e. Boletaceai or Polyporaceae), diseases (i.e. bacterial blotch or brown rot), or concepts (i.e. spawn substrate or composting).

Call Numbers: At University Park, call numbes starting with Q, R, and S are located on the 4th floor of Paterno Library. General call numbers and subject areas are:

• QK600– Fungi
• QK617– Mushrooms
• RC117– Medical Mycology
• SB733– Fungus diseases of plants

Books Elsewhere: WorldCat

Libraries Borrowing Policies: Once you have the books, check them out at the nearest lending desk or self check-out station. Loan periods are usually four weeks but books can be recalled for another user, so respond promptly to library notices. For more information see the University Libraries Lending Code.

• Agropedia is a compilation of agriculture encyclopedias, including the Encyclopedia of Crop and Plant Science, Encyclopedia of Soil Science and the Encyclopedia of Pest Management.
• Access Science is the online equivalent of the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology.

• Dictionary of the Fungi. 9th edition (QK600.35.A35 2001)
• Illustrated Dictionary of Mycology. (QK600.35.U4513 2000)

• Descriptions of Fungi and Bacteria provides integrated information to allow identification / confirmation of identity of significant species, along with related information on pathology or other economic significance. (online source)
• Mycology reference cards (QK603.N69 2000). This is a set of 8 cards that can be used as study guides. Fungal Phylogeny, Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Deuteromycota, Zygomycota, Chytriomycota, Oomycota, Slime molds.
• Kneebone Mushroom Reference Library - The Collection is comprised of books, journals, several Penn State mycology dissertations, and article reprints. There is a regional emphasis on materials from the Pennsylvania area.

When using information from another source you must give credit to the original author or you are plagiarizing. You give credit by citing the source. Make sure your citation contains everything you would need to backtrack and find the information again. It is best to pick one citation style and be consistent. Check this Quick Guide to Citation Styles for details and format.

Plagiarism, whether you copy a paragraph from a book or cut and paste someone else's words from an e-mail message, is a violation of Penn State's academic integrity policy. See this Statement on Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty.

You can look for mycology information on the Internet by using one of the 'guides' listed below, or by using an Internet Search Engine like Google Scholar. Usually the search engines are most appropriate when you have a narrow, specific information need. For example if you were looking for information on cultivation of shiitake mushrooms or spawn production. If you are just looking for information on a general topic such as, edible mushrooms or diseases of mushrooms a subject guide is most appropriate.

USDA Agricultural Research Service Systematic Botany and Mycology Laboratory. Research emphasis is on plants of economic importance and fungi, as biological control agents to reduce the need for chemical inputs in sustainable agriculture and as pathogens that threaten the production of a safe and abundant food supply.

Penn State Mushroom Spawn Laboratory. Here you can find Mushroom Fact Sheets, links to other mycology sites, culture collections, and information on spawn, spawning, and spawn growth.

WWW Virtual Library: Mycology. This site is maintained by an assistant professor of plant pathology at Cornell University. There is information about taxonomy, identification, cultivation, directories of mycologists and mycology labs, guides and suppliers.