Abstract: Nostoc commune is not only one of the traditional edible fungi in China, but also a natural multi-functional product. Artificial culture may change its growth and the accumulation of functional compounds. In present study, we attempted to establish the optimal conditions of temperature and light for the artificial culture of a local strain of N. commune in Ningbo, and to probe the effects of temperature, light, and ultraviolet radiation on the production of the functional compound scytonemin. The results showed that the optimal conditions of temperature and light were 25 ℃ and 25 μE/ (m2 ·s). At the same light intensity conditions, the growth of N. commune was faster at lower temperatures than at higher ones, whereas no significant changes occurred upon the light intensity. The temperature and light affected the production of scytonemin with the lowest quantity of 150μg/g accumulated at the optimum temperature and light conditions. Higher light intensity and temperature, rather than light photoperiod, significantly improved the production of scytonemin, reaching 120% when the light intensity was doubled from 25 to 50μE/ (m2 ·s). The appropriate ultraviolet radiation at moderate strength could also effectively promote scytonemin production.

Key words: Nostoc commune, artificial cultivation, temperature, light, scytonemin