Scanned images of Oyster mushroom's mycelium grown on a PDA medium
Description
This dataset contains time-lapse scanned images of Pleurotus ostreatus mycelium cultured on potato dextrose agar (PDA) and monitored over an incubation period of 8 days. The study aimed to test the hypothesis that environmental factors—specifically pH, temperature, and incubation time—significantly influence the radial growth and morphological development of oyster mushroom mycelium. To evaluate this, cultures were grown under varying pH levels (4–8), temperature regimes (20–27 °C), and incubation times (2–8 days). Images were processed using a computer vision pipeline that included preprocessing, cropping, color channel streamlining, RGB to binary conversion, thresholding, contour extraction, and batch processing to generate quantitative digital outputs (in pixels) of colony growth dynamics. Notable findings from the processed image data revealed that: pH 6 provided the most favorable conditions for mycelial expansion, while pH 7 supported the least growth, especially at later incubation stages. The optimal temperature range was 25–27 °C, which promoted rapid radial growth, enhanced enzyme activity, and efficient nutrient uptake. Lower temperatures (≤20 °C) slowed growth, while values >30 °C (reported in prior studies) reduced performance. Incubation period strongly influenced growth, with exponential hyphal extension observed after day 4 and maximum expansion at day 8, reflecting the shift from lag to exponential growth phases. Interpretation of results suggests that growth regulation is tightly linked to enzyme secretion (e.g., cellulases and ligninases), cytoplasmic streaming, vesicle trafficking to hyphal tips, and maintenance of proton gradients—all of which are optimized under weakly acidic conditions and mesophilic temperatures. These findings demonstrate the synergistic effects of environmental conditions on fungal physiology and validate the application of computer vision as a non-invasive, reproducible method for monitoring mycelial growth.
Files
Steps to reproduce
Highlights for Reproducibility of Image Data Culture Conditions Fungal strain: Pleurotus ostreatus (oyster mushroom). Medium: Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA), poured into sterile Petri dishes. Environmental variations: pH adjusted to 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 using 0.1 M HCl or NaOH. Temperature maintained at 20, 22, 25, and 27 °C. Incubation period monitored daily for 8 days. Image Acquisition Daily time-lapse scans performed with a flatbed scanner (resolution: ≥300 dpi, color mode: RGB). Petri dishes were placed inverted to avoid condensation artifacts. Images saved in TIFF format to prevent compression losses. Image Preprocessing Pipeline Cropping to remove plate borders and background. Conversion from RGB to grayscale, followed by binary thresholding to isolate colony growth. Noise reduction applied using Gaussian blur / median filter. Contour detection and colony area quantification carried out using OpenCV-based algorithms in batch mode. Data Extraction Radial colony area computed in pixels² and converted to metric units based on plate dimensions. Growth curves generated by plotting area against incubation period for each environmental condition. Replicates (n ≥ 3 per treatment) were averaged, with error bars representing standard error. Analysis & Validation One-way and two-way ANOVA performed to test effects of temperature, pH, and incubation time. Results validated by visual inspection of colony morphology and cross-checking with manual measurements.
Institutions
- North Dakota State UniversityND, Fargo