MUSHROOM CULTIVATION
Mushroom is a fungi producing a fleshy fruiting body, especially one consisting of a stalk with an umbrella cap.
It has two part : cap like structure is known as PILEUS, attached with thread like structure MYCELIA.
Mycelia absorb nutrient from soil , it do not require sun light for their growth.
Mushroom Cultivation in India:
In India, mushroom-cultivation is in progress. Impressive work is being done in States like Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. Our country is gifted with two distinct climates and seasons, namely, winter and summer. Accordingly, we can divide mushroom cultivation and can easily cultivate them under natural conditions almost round the year.
Volvariella spp. (Paddy Straw Mushroom) can be grown in summer when the temperature ranges from 28°C to 49°C; Pleurotus spp. (Dhingri) can be grown in winter when temperature is about 20° to 30°C; and Agaricus bisporus (Button Mushroom) can be grown in winter when temperature ranges from 15°C to 25°C.
1. Cultivation of Paddy Straw Mushroom (Volvariella spp.):
The steps involved in cultivation of paddy straw mushroom are : choice of substratum, bed-preparation and cropping, after care of beds, and harvesting and marketing.
Choice of Substratum:
Paddy straw is considered to be the best; others which can be used are wheat straw, jowar, maize, rye straw, sugarcane bygasse, tobacco and banana leaves.
Bed-preparation and Cropping:
Firstly, hand-harvested, 3-4′ long, well-dried and disease-free paddy straw are taken to prepare their bundles, 35 bundles of paddy straw are required for one bed and each such bundle should be 1 to 1.5 kg in weight. The bundles are soaked in water for 8-16 hours, are taken out of water, washed with fresh water and allowed to drain off excess water.
Now, a bed is prepared by putting four layers of the paddy straw bundles one over the other; each layer contains 8 bundles. The spawn bottle is opened and raked with a woolen or glass rod. The spawn is now sprinkled by hand all over on the margin of the bed about 10 cms. away from the edge and continuing upto 23 cms. inside. Thus the central portion has been left for spawning in 1st layer.
The sprinkled spawn is covered with a light dusting of ‘besan’ (gram powder). The second, third and fourth layers are also prepared in the same way as in case of 1st but the difference in 4th layer is that the sprinkling of spawn is done on the entire surface instead of periphery as in case of rests of the layers.
The layer should also be dusted by the gram powder and must be covered with a thin layer of straw upto 8 cms. thickness. This is also done with the remaining three bundles of straw.
After Care of Beds:
Water is sprayed 2-3 times in hot day and 1-2 times in rainy season. If necessary, 0.1% Malathion and 0.2% Dithane Z-78 is sprayed to overcome insects, pests and other diseases.
Harvesting and Marketing:
Cropping starts 10-12 days after spawning and remains upto 15-20 days. Mushroom is harvested at button stage or just after rupturing of the cup by twisting so that broken pieces are not left in the beds otherwise bacterial rotting generally starts and spreads to other healthy mushrooms.
After harvesting the mushrooms should be used within 8 hours or kept in 10-15°C for 24 hours otherwise these get spoiled. One may keep them for a week in refrigerator.
Fresh mushrooms are dried either in sun or in even at 55-60°C for 8 hours. After drying they are packed and sealed otherwise they absorb moisture which spoils them. The packing of mushrooms is preferred only in button state. However, one can find 3-4 kg. yield/bed of mushrooms.
2. Cultivation of Dhingri:
The steps involved in cultivation of dhingri (Pleurotus spp.) are: choice of substratum, bed- preparation and cropping, after care of beds, and harvesting and marketing.
Choice of Substratum:
Chopped paddy straw is the best; others may be crushed maize cobs, wheat straw, rye straw, dried and pulvarized grasses, compost used in button mushroom cultivation, and wooden logs etc.
Bed-preparation and Cropping:
Chopped paddy straw is soaked in water tank for 8-12 hours, are taken out and washed again with fresh water, and allowed to drain off excess water. Now the substratum is filled in wooden trays measuring about 1 x 1/2 x 1/4 metre. The entire surface of the tray-filled substratum is sprinkled by spawn.
After spawing is over, the tray is covered by polythene sheet and spraying of water is done once or twice a day or if and when necessary to maintain the sufficient moisture in the tray.
However, the mushroom fruiting bodies, generally called mushroom-flush, start appearing after 10-15 days and the polythene sheet is removed when mushroom start appearing. Production of mushrooms continues upto 1-11/2 months (30-45 days) after appearance of 1st mushroom-flush.
After Care of Beds:
Water is sprayed as and when necessary; temperature and relative humidity is maintained at 25 ± 5°C and 85-90% respectively in the production room; aeration is provided; and 0.1% Malathion and 0.2% Dithane Z-78 are sprayed to control insects, pests and other diseases.
Harvesting and Marketing:
Mushroom is harvested when the pileus reaches about 8-10 cms. in diameter. The harvesting is done by twisting so that broken pieces are not left in the trays otherwise microbial rotting generally starts and spreads to other mushrooms.
Harvested mushrooms are dried in sun or in oven at 55-60°C for 8 hours. After drying, they are packed as otherwise they absorb moisture and get spoiled. However, one can find 3-4 kg yield/tray.
3. Cultivation of Button Mushroom:
The steps involved in cultivation of button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) are: substratum and its preparation, bed-preparation and cropping, after care of beds and harvesting and marketing.
(i) Substratum and its Preparation:
The preferred substratum for button mushroom cultivation in our country is wheat or paddy straw compost.
Compost-Ingredients:
Wheat straw 300 kgs., wheat bran 25 kgs., ammonium sulphate 9 kgs., super phosphate 3 kgs., urea 3 kgs., muriate of potash 3.5 gs., gypsum 30 kgs. saw-dust 30 kgs., zinc sulphate (ZnSO4) 10 gms., lindane or lintaff or gamma B.H.C. one kg. and Malathion 200 c.c.
Compost-Preparation:
The ground on which compost is prepared should be of cement concrete and clean, provided with a roof so as to get rid of rain and temperature due to sunlight. Now, firstly, the wheat straw is wetted for about 48 hours. Wheat bran, ammonium sulphate, super phosphate, urea and muriate of potash are mixed in saw dust.
This mixture (called fertillizer-heap) is watered adequately for about a day. Next day, the mixture is mixed to the watered wheat straw, and is stacked into a neat heap of 11/2 x 1 x 1 meter size. It is well watered but the water should not seep from below. If possible, this heap is covered with polythene sheet. Sheep temperature of the heap rises upto 78°C second to third day.
Turning of Compost:
The first turning is done on 6th day. About one foot deep compost is scrapped from outside and top and is stacked at one side. Again the same process is repeated till one finds a new stack. Meanwhile a little amount of water is added so that no dry patch remains left.
Sometimes the middle compost becomes white due to excessive heat produced. The white compost is known as ‘fire fang’. The second turning is similar to the first one and is done on 10th day.
The third turning is done on 13th day and 10 kgs of gypsum added during this. This fourth, fifth turnings are done on 16th and 19th day respectively and 10 kgs of gypsum added in each of the two turnings. The sixth turning is done on 22nd day.
If a smell of ammonia comes out, the compost is given two more turnings so that there is no smell of ammonia. However, in this compost the remaining ingredients, 200 c.c. of Malathion and one litre/kg of lintaff, are added to prevent insect infestation.
(ii) Bed-preparation and Cropping:
Compost is now filled in wooden trays, each measuring 1 x 1/2 x 1/4 metre, upto 16-18 cms, is pressed firmly and slightly watered. The trays are arranged one above the other in tiers in pasteurization room. Temperature of pasteurization room is raised upto 60°C and maintained for a period of about two days after which the trays are transferred to production hall, provided with 24°C temperature.
Small pieces of commercially produced spawns are inoculated onto the compost-bed. After spawning the bed is covered with neat, clean and water-wet newspaper. It is important that newspapers should always be wet. A good white cottony growth is observed on the compost-surface below the newspaper after 10-15 days. The newspaper is removed after 20 days and now the trays are subjected to ‘casing’.
Casing denotes the covering of beds with soil. Casing soil can be prepared with three parts ordinary soil and one part of sand (with some peat if available), and of natural pH, i.e., 7. Soil is semi-sterilzed/sterlized before casing at about 20 lb pressure for two hours or by heating in drum at about 90°C temperature or by use of 5% formalin solution.
The casing soil is laid over the beds upto 3/4 – 1″ height. Cased trays are watered by spraying. However, casing of beds is essential as it induces the formation of fruiting bodies.
It takes about a month to make the fruiting bodies appear on beds. Temperature less than 15°C favours fruiting body production, so the temperature in the production hall should be maintained below the said temperature after the fruiting bodies start appearing on beds.
(iii) After Care of the Beds:
Humidity is maintained at about 70-80%. Watering twice a day with a very fine sprayer, keeping its nozzle upside and droplets allowed to come down very slowly, is required, 0.1% lintaff and 0.2% dithane Z-78 spray may be done after 10 days so as to avoid insects and other pathogens etc.
POISONOUS MUSHROOMS
Destroying Angel Mushroom
The most common poisonous variety of mushrooms, the oval-shaped Destroying Angel, possesses amatoxins, one of the major contributors towards mushroom poisoning called mycetism. Within a few hours of consumption, the amatoxin substances destroy the tissues in the kidney and liver ultimately causing mortality.
Death Cap Mushroom
Death caps are common to Asia and Europe. A highly poisonous variety, these are the primary cause for mushroom poisoning across the globe.
False Morel Mushroom
False morels called sponge mushrooms resemble the brain’s exterior. Frequently misidentified as the true morel, the false morels with Mono Methyl Hydrazine (MMH), commonly alleged as carcinogenic, trigger diarrhea, giddiness and vomiting, and even lead to death.
Deadly Galerina Mushroom
The Deadly Gallerina mushroom consisting of amaniti, a critical toxin destroys the central nervous system, the kidneys and the liver.
Nevertheless, with such wide variety of mushrooms, it is advisable to exercise caution in identifying the nature of a mushroom variety before utilizing it for consumption.
