Paddy Straw Mushroom

Paddy straw mushroom (Volvariella spp.) Introduction

Ag. Technologies. Mushroom Cultivation

Area and Distribution Method of cultivation Pasteurization Compost Preparation Spawning Crop management after spawning Harvesting

Introduction Volvariella volvacea Sing., the straw mushroom, or paddy straw mushroom is the most popular mushroom in Southeast Asia. Asi a. . V.diplasia is white while V.Volvacea is blackish. V.bombycina differs from the cultivated V.volvacea in terms of habitat as well as colour. Area and distribution The cultivation started in China almost three hundred years ago. Several species of Volvariella have been grown for food. V.bombycina Sing. And V.diplasia (Berk & Br.) Sing, Si ng, have been cultivated in India. Method of cultivation Volvariella volvacea thrives in a temperature range of 28 to 36 0 C and relative humidity of 75-85% is required. In a modified method of cultivation bundled substrates (rice straw, banana leaves or water hyacinth), prepared in the same way as those u sed for beds, are soaked in water, drained, then packed (layered) in the wooden frames. Spawn is mixed in with each layer as the frame is pac ked or filled. The spawned substrate in the boxes may be placed in a specially buil t incubation room

with a high temperature (35 to 38 0 C) and high relative humidity (at least 75%), or it may be covered with plastic sheets and placed under shade outdoors. Pasteurization For pasteurization, live steam (pressurized and over 100 0 C) is introduced into the mushroom house. Within 2 hours, the air temperature e rises to about 60 to 62 0 C, which is i s maintained for another 2 hours. The temperature is then g radually lowered to about to about 520 C by a gentle stream of fresh air. The temperature during the next 8 hours is maintained at 50 TO 52 0  C by a continuous fresh air supply. Compost preparation It should contain the necessary nutrients, released from the raw compost materials during fermentation. Through composting, a mixture of rich organic materials is converted into a selective medium suitable for the growth of the desired mushroom but less sui table for competing organisms. After the Two stages of fermentation, the compost becomes a selective substrate. Spawning For spawning, the air temperature is cooled to 35 0C and the bed temperature to about 36 to 38 0 C The amount of spawn to be used is calculated at 1.4% (dry weight) or (wet weight) of the compost. Crop management after spawning The optimum temperature for growth of Pleurotus spp. is 23 + - 2 0 C. Relative humidity in growing room should range from 85-90% during spawn-run. Harvesting On fifth day after spawning, mushroom primordia usually appear on the surface of the beds. Four to five days later, the first flush of mushroom is ready for harvest. The first crop of mushroom is usually harvested 10 days after planting the spawn. Volvariella is best harvested at the button (egg-shaped) stage when the volva or the universal veil has not broken. In general, rice straw alone gives lower yields than when it is used in combination with cotton waste. Rice straw is also more prone to a mushroom contaminant called Coprinus, which thrives at a slightly higher temperature (40 0 C) the Vovlariella. Coprinus popularly called ink caps, also has a higher nitrogen substances so that, when the substrate is supplemented with nitrogen substances such as urea,coprinus out compete Vovlariella. A yield for outdoor beds ranges form 10 to 20% B.E. while indoor beds of cotton waste may yield as high as 50% B.E.

Technology for Mushroom Cultivation 02 July 2012 Hits: 11967 mushroom

 ढिगरी  मशम   मशम 

 पैडीस्टा  खु खुमबी  ब् ी 

oyster mushroom cultivation

 बटन  मशम कै  मशम कैसे उगाि  उगािऐ

Button Mushroomधानपुआल  या   या 

How to grow mushroom

Mushroom cultivation is increasingly becoming popular because it not only meets the dietry requirements but also adds to the income, especially of growers with insufficient land. It is considered to be a very rewarding and fascinating hobby for the retired persons as well as housewives who can grow mushrooms in small boxes or other containers while attending to household chores. Today, mushroom cultivation faces less difficulties provided the grower will follow simple rules of growing. It is really amazing that a small quantity of spawn when planted in suitable growing medium can, within almost six weeks, grow into a highly profitable crop inside a room, where no other crop would grow. Moreover, mushrooms have more uses in modern culinary cuisine than any other food crop. Mushroom cultivation is carried out indoor in any room, shed, basement, garage, etc. which should be well ventilated. However, paddy straw mushroom can be grown outside in shady places also. Of the many mushrooms only three kinds namely button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus), straw mushroom (Voluariella uoluacea) and oyster mushroom (Pleurotus sajor-caju) are suitable for cultivation in India.

Button mushroom is grown in winter. The most suitable temperature for th e spread of the mycelium is 24-25°C, while 16-18°C is essential for the formation of fruit bodies.Higher temperature is harmful and low temperature retards the development of both mushroom mycelium and fruit bodies.

Paddy straw mushroom can be grown around 35°C. Temperature should not go below 30°C or above 40°C for more than 4-8 hours during growing period. In northern India it can be grown from April to September but the most suitable period is from middle of June to middle of September. Dhingri (oyster mushroom) grows best between 22-28°c. It is grown in n orthern plains from October to March. The methods of cultivation of these three mushrooms are given separately.

BUTTON MUSHROOM The cultivated mushroom is grown on special composts, which are of the following two types, synthetic and natural. Composting yard

The compost should be prepared on well cleaned concrete or pucca floor, which should be at a higher level so that the run-off water does not collect near the heap.Composting is usually don e in the open, but it has to be protected from rain by covering it with polythene sheet. It can also be done in a shed with open sides or a large room to shelter it from rain. 1. Synthetic compost

The following ingredients are required for 15-16 tra ys of size 100cmx50cmx15cm:Wheat straw (chopped 8-20cm long)-250kg, Wheat/rice bran-20kg, Ammonium sulphate/calcium ammonium nitrate-3 kg, Urea-3kg, Gypsum-20kg The straw is uniformly spread over the compo sting yard in a thin layer and wetted thoroughly by sprinkling water. All ingredients such as wheat bran, fertilizers, etc. except gypsum, are mixed thoroughly in the wetted straw, which is finally heaped into a pile. The pile, 1m high, 1m wide and length adjustable, can be made with hand or stack mould. The straw should be firmly but not compactly compressed into the mould. It is essential to open the entire pile and remake it a number of times according to the following schedule: Mixing of material and making pile - 0 day 1st turning - 4th day 2nd turning - 8th day 3rd turning - 12th day, add 10 kg gypsum

4th turning - 16th day, add 10 kg gypsum Final turning - 20th day, spray 10 ml Malathion in 5 litre water (any other available pesticide like DOT, BHC, lindane can also be used) At each turning water should be sprinkled to make up the loss of water due to evaporation. If it is desired to add molasses, then 10 kg molasses diluted 20 times with water should be poured over the straw mixture during the first turning. Sixty kg chicken man ure, if available, can also be added at the time of start of pile. 2. Natural compost

The following ingredients are required for 15-16 tra ys of size 100cmx50cmx15cm:Horse dung-1000kg, Chopped wheat straw-300 to 350kg, Gypsum-25kg Poultry manure-100 to 110kg (or 3kg urea). It is prepared from pure horse dung (dung of other animals should not be admixed), which must  be freshly collected and should not have been exposed to rain. Chopped wheat straw is mixed with horse dung, urea or poultry manure. The mixture is uniformly spread over the compo sting yard and water is sprinkled over it so that the straw becomes sufficiently wet. The manure is then heaped in a pile as for synthetic compost. After 3 days when the manure in the heap gets heated up due to fermentation and gives off an odour of ammonia it is opened. The process is repeated 3 or 4 times after an interval of 3-4 days. Twenty five kg gypsum per tonne is added in two instalments at the 3rd and 4th turning. At the final turning 10 ml malathion diluted in 5 litres of water is sprayed into the manure. Compost Filling in trays:

The compost when ready for fil1ing and spawning has a dark brown colour and no trace of ammonia. There is no unpleasant odour but it smells like fresh hay. The pH is neutral or near neutral. The compost should not be too dry or too wet at the time of filling in the trays, which can be determined by the palm test. For this purpose a small quantity of co mpost is taken into the hand and pressed lightly, if a few drops of water ooze out of the fingers then it is of right consistency. If relatively dry then the water should be made up by sprinkling. If too wet, the excess water should be allowed to evaporate. The prepared compost is now filled in trays, which may be of any convenient size but depth should be 15-18 cm. A standard size of tray is 100 cm x 50 cm x 15 cm. The trays should be made of soft wood and provided with the pegs at the four corners so that they can be stacked one over the other leaving sufficient space (15 cm) between the two trays for various operations. The trays are completely filled with the compost, lightly compressed and the surface levelled. Spawning

Spawning means sowing the beds with the mycelium (spawn) of the mushroom. Spawn can be obtained from Mushroom Laboratory, Y. S. Parmar University, Chamba ghat, Solan; National

Mushroom Research and Training Centre, Chambaghat, Solan (H.P.) at a nominal cost. Small quantity of spawn is also available from the Division of Mycology and Plant Pathology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. The grain spawn is scattered on the surface of the tray bed which is covered with a thin layer of compost. Spawning can also be done by mixing the spawn with compost before filling it in trays. Five hundred gram spawn is sufficient for five trays of standard size. After spawning, the compost surface is covered with old newspaper sheets, wh ich are wetted by sprinkling water to  provide humidity but no water is directly added to the compost during spawn running. The trays after spawning are stacked vertically one over the other in 4-5 tiers. One metre clear space may be left in between the top tray and ceiling. There should be about 15-20 cm space  between the two trays. The room should be maintained around 25°c. The humidity should be built up by frequently watering the floor and walls. The room ma y be kept closed as no fresh air is needed during the spawn run. White cottony mycelium spreads and permeates through the compost. Eventually the compost surface gets covered with the mycelium. It takes 12-15 days for complete spawn run. Low temperature prolongs the spread of the mycelium. Casing

After the spawn run is complete as is evident by white cottony growth, the surface of the compost is covered with 3 em layer of casing soil. A suitable casing soil can be prepared by mixing equal parts of well rotten cowdung (finely crushed and coarsely sieved) and garden soil. The casing material should possess high water holding capacity, good pore space and pH should not be lower than 7.4. The casing material is sterilized to kill insects, nematodes and molds. Sterilization can be accomplished either by steaming o r by treating with formalin solution. For one cubic metre of casing soil, hqlf litre for formalin (40%) diluted with 10 litre of water is sufficient. The casing soil is spread over a plastic sheet an d treated with formalin by sprinkling. The treated soil is piled up in a heap and covered with another plastic sheet for 48 hours. The soil is turned frequently for about a week to remove all traces of formalin which can be tested by smelling. After casing, the temperature of the room is maintained at 25°C for further three days, after which it must be lowered to below 18°C. At this stage lot of fresh air is needed and , therefore, the growing room should be ventilated by opening windows etc. Cropping and HalVesting

The first flush of the pin heads become visible 15-20 days after casing or 35-40 days after spawning. Small white buttons develop 5-6 days after pin head stage. The right stage of harvest is when the caps are still tight over the short stem. In case the buttons are allowed to mature further, the membrane below the cap will rupture and the cap will open up in umbrella-like shape. Such mushrooms are considered to be inferior. Harvesting is done by holding the cap with forefingers slightly pressed against the soil and twisting it off. The soil particles and mycelial threads clinging to the base of the stalk are chopped off. Mushroom can also be harvested by cutting off with a sharp knife at soil level.

Yield

The average yield of 3-4 kg per tray is considered normal. However, if com post is carefully  prepared, spawn is reliable and temperature is favourable, then a yield of 5-6 kg per tray is  possible. Partial or complete failure may also happen due to negligence. Storage

The mushrooms are best consumed fresh. Storage in refrigerator for a few days is possible if they are placed between moist paper towel.

PADDY STRAW MUSHROOM Paddy straw mushroom, also called Chinese Mushroom (Volvariella spp.) is grown in South-East Asia. This mushroom is dark in colour and is very delicious. It is usually grown in raised beds, which are laid in open, exposed or shady places over which temporary sheds are built to protect the beds from direct sunlight and rain. If the beds are made indoors in a well ventilated room which is not very dark, the production of mushrooms is more steady and reliable. Spawn of Paddy straw mushroom

Spawn of this mushroom is made on grains of cereals or millets and is called grain spawn. Sometimes it is also made on soaked chopped paddy straw. This spawn is called straw spawn. Spawn may be available locally from the Division of Mycology and Plant Pathology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi-llOO12 at nominal price. Spawn is a lso available from Plant Pathology or Microbiology Departments of the respective Agricultural Universities. One bottle of spawn is sufficient for one bed. Substrate or Bedding Material

This mushroom is usually grown in paddy straw. Thoroughl y dried and long paddy straw is  preferred. The straw is tied in bundles of about 8-10 cm in diameter. The bundles are then cut to a uniform length of about 70-80 cm, and are soaked by immersing them in a tank of water for about 12-16 hours. Later, excess water is allowed to drain off. Procedure for making the bed: -

Make a 15-20 cm h)gh foundation of soil or bricks. The size of the foundation is slightly larger than that of bed. The foundation must be strong and firm to hold the weight of the bed. - Make wooden bamboo frame of the size of the bed foundation and place it on top of the raised  bed foundation. - Place four bundles of soaked straw side by side on the wooden/bamboo frame. Over these,

 place another set of four bundles similarly but the loose ends on the opposite side. These 8  bundles constitute the first layer. - Scatter grain spawn about 8-12 cm from the edges of the first layer. If straw spawn is used, small pieces of the size of the thumb are planted about 4-6 cm deep and about 10-15 cm apart along the edges. Dust the spawn with powdered gram/arhar dal powder or rice/wheat bran. - Now place a second layer of eight bundles across the first layer and spawn it as before. - Again place a third layer of straw bundles across the second layer and spawn it all over the surface. - Finally cover with a fourth layer of four straw bundles. Press it lightly. - Completely cover the bed with a transparent plastic sheet, taking care that the plastic sheet is not in contact with the bed. Care of bed

Remove the transparent plastic sheet after the m ycelium has thoroughly permeated the straw. This would take about a week at 35°c. If the surface of the bed gets dry then it should be watered lightly by a sprayer at least once a day. The Crop

Mushrooms begin to appear within 10-15 days after the beds are spawned and continue to do so for about a week or 10 days. The total yield of the bed is about 2-2.5 kg. The mushrooms should  be picked when the volva (cup like veil) just breaks to expose the mushroom inside. The mushrooms are very delicate and must be consumed fresh. If stored in fridge they can stand for 2-3 days. These mushrooms can easily be air dried in sun or shade.

OYSTER MUSHROOM This mushroom is simple to grow and has excellent flavour and texture. It is very popular in many countries particularly in South-East Asia, where cultivation of button mushroom (Agaricus  bisporus) is not possible under natural climatic conditions. Besides its delicious taste, it is known to be very nutritious and is recommended to control obesity and is reported to be beneficial for diabeties. Its low fat content makes it an ideal diet for the blood pressure patients. Substrate or growing material

It can be cultivated on a wide ranging of cellulosic farm wastes or other materials. Cereal straws,  banana pseudostems, waste paper, cotton waste are particularly suitable.However, paddy straw is the most commonly used material. 1. Oyster growing in polythene bags

Paddy straw is chopped into small pieces 3-5 cm long. It is soaked in water for . about 8 hours, after which water is squeezed out.- About 200 g grain spawn (half litre bottle) is mixed thoroughly with about 5-6 kg of wet chopped straw (= lY2 kg dry straw).- A polythene bag 45 cm long and 30 cm diam. is used. It is perforated with 2 mm diam. holes, about 4 cm apart, all over the surface. Spawned straw is filled about 2/3rd of the capacity of the bag and mouth tied.The bags containing spawned straw are placed in shelves in the growing room (RH. 80-85% and room temperature 24-26°C). 2. Growing in rectangular blocks

A wooden tray mould (50 cm x 33 cm x 15 cm) without bottom is required. A one m2 piece of transparent polythene sheet is spread so that it forms the bottom of the tray mould and also lines the sides from inside. The loose edges hang out from the tray mould.- Fill in the wetted chopped  paddy straw (as described for bag method above) to make a 5 cm thick bottom layer. Scatter spawn uniformly. Lay another 5 cm thick layer over the top of bottom layer and spawn it in the same way. Finally, lay the third layer (final la yer) over the second and repeat spawning. Spawn is covered with more wetted straw to bring it in level with the top of the mould. Compress it firmly by hands or a board. Two hundred grams (Yz litre bottle) spawn is sufficient for two  blocks.- Fold the loose hanging edges of plastic sheet over the straw block, fasten with a string. Remove the rectangular block from the mold. Spawn Run

The spawned bags/blocks are placed on shelves in the growing room where RH. is maintained at 80-85 per cent and room temperature is about 24-26°C.- Spawn run is complete in about 10-12 days and is indicated by white cottony mycelium which permeates throughout the straw. As a result the straw becomes compact and does not split when handled. At this stage, p olythene covering is removed by cutting it open in case of bags and by untying the polythene sheet in case of blocks. In case of bags, the straw gets compacted in the form of a cylinder.- The cylinder/blocks are neatly arranged on shelves and gently watered at least twice a day. The Crop

First mushrooms appear about 18-20 days after spawning. Two or three flushes appear at an ,interval of about a week. Dhingri should be harvested when the cap starts becoming folded. Harvesting can be done by cutting with a sharp knife or by twisting it off with fingers from the substrate. Dhiilgri is best consumed fresh. It can be dried in sun or in a mechanical drier, and stored in polythene bags. Yield

About one kg mushroom can be obtained from 1Yz kg dry straw (=5-6 kg wet straw).

Authors: R. Verma Tech. Officer, IARI [email protected]

Paddy straw mushroom is an edible mushroom of the tropics and subtropics. It was first cultivated in China as early as in 1822. Around 1932-35, the straw mushroom was introduced into Philippines, Malaysia, and other South-East Asian countries by overseas Chinese. In India this mushroom was first cultivated in early 1940’s. In India 19 edible

species of Volvariella have been recorded but cultivation methods have been devised for three of them only viz; V. esculenta (Mass) Sing., V. diplasia (Berk and Br.) Sing. and V.volvacea (Bull. ex Fr.) Sing. The optimum temperature and moisture for the growth of this mushroom are 35°Cand 57-60%, respectively. It can be cultivated in North-Indian plains from July to September and in peninsular India from March to November. However, in the hilly areas during the November to January months artificial heating is necessary to raise the environmental and bed temperature but in the plains, artificial heating can be minimized by the incorporation of Melia azadirachta indica and Tamarindus indicus leaves in alternate layers. A. Morphological Characteristics

Fig. 1. Different structure of V. Volvacea fruiting body 1. Proximate composition of paddy straw mushroom

Table

This genus takes its name from ‘Volva’means a wrapper; which completely envelops the

main fruit body during the young stage. The fruit body formation starts with distinct tiny clusters of white hyphal aggregates called primordia and is followed by successive stages named as ‘button’, egg’, ‘elongation’ and ‘mature’. Differentiation can be seen first at the ‘button’ stage. At maturity, the buttons enlarge and umbrella like fruiting

bodies emerge after the rupture of the volva. The mature fruiting body can be distinguished into the following structures (Fig. 17.1).

Volva: The universal veil is known as volva and it remains more or less distinct in the

adult mushroom as a cup like structure at the base of the stipe. : Off-white to dull brown in colour, long, round with a smooth surface and no annulus. The stipe enlarges slightly to a bulbous base, which is encased with a distinct membraneous volva. Stipe

: The umbrella like fleshy structure attached to the stipe. The size of the pileus is affected by environmental factors, but generally it is around 5-15 cm broad. The Pileus

‘annulus’ or ring like structure on the stipe is conspicuously absent in this mushroom. Gills: The vertical, radial plates on the lower surface of the pileus are lamellae or gills.

All gills are with entire margin and fimbriate edges, but the size varies from one quarter of the radius of the pileus to the full size. The top surface of the cap is soft and smooth in texture. The colour of the fully-grown pileus is greyish white with a reddish tinge. The grey being dominant in the centre of the cap. The stipe of the umbrella tapers from the base to the apex and is solid, smooth and white in colour. The stipe is easily separable from the pileus at its junction. The gills are also free from stipe. The pileus is initially well shaped but later becomes convex to umbonate. B. Nutritive Value

The excellent unique flavour and textural characteristics distinguish this mushroom from other edible mushrooms. The nutritive value of paddy straw mushroom is affected by the method of cropping and the stages of maturation. The proximate composition of paddy straw mushroom is given in Table 17.1. Available data reveal that on fresh weight basis it contains around 90% water, 30-43% crude protein, 1-6% fat, 12-48% carbohydrates, 4-10% crude fibre and 5.13% ash. The fat content increases with the maturation stage and the fully mature fruit body contains as high as 5% fat. The N-free carbohydrates increases from button to the egg stage, remains constant at the elongation and drops at

the mature stage. The crude fibre remains at almost same level in first three stages and increases at mature stage. The egg stage contains highest level of protein, which decreases at mature stage. Ash content remains almost similar at all the developmental stages. The straw mushroom is known to be rich in minerals such as potassium, sodium and phosphorus. Potassium constitutes the major fraction of the major elements, followed by sodium and calcium. The levels of K, Ca and Mg remain almost same at different developmental stages, except that of Na and P, which drops at elongation and at mature stages. The contents of minor elements namely Cu, Zn and Fe did not vary much at different stages of development. The levels of thiamin and riboflavin in paddy straw mushroom are lower than Agaricus bisporus and Lentinula edodes, while niacin is at par with these two mushrooms. At all the stages lysine is the most abundant essential amino acid and glutamic acid and

aspartic acid are the most abundant non-essential amino acids (Table 17.2). Tryptophan and methionine are lowest among essential amino acids. The level of phenylalanine increases nearly one fold at elongation stage, while lysine decreases to about half of its value at the button stage. The straw mushroom is comparable to that of the other mushrooms both in terms of amino acid composition and the percentage of essential amino acids in the total amino acids. In fact, paddy straw mushroo m contains high percentage of essential amino acids in comparison to other mushroom and the abundance of lysine is very important. The other three amino acids namely leucine, isoleucine and methionine are low in paddy straw mushrooms. C. Cultivation 1. Conventional method  

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Different steps involved in this method are as follows (Fig. .2) Preparation of paddy straw bundles of 0.75 –  1.0 kg (80-95 cm long & 12-15 cm wide)  preferably from hand threshed paddy. Immersing the bundles in clean water for 12-18 hou rs in a cemented water tank. Draining out of excess water by placing bundles on raised bamboo or cemented  platform. Making bed by placing 4 bundles side by side and another four bundles similarly but from the opposite side forming one layer of eight bundles. Preparation of second, third and fourth layer by intermittent spawning between first and second, second and third and third and fourth layers. Spawning the entire surface of different layers of the beds leaving margin of 1215 cm from edges at a space of 5 cm apart. Sprinkling red gram powder over the spawned surface. Using 500 gm spawn and 150 g of red gram powder for a bed of 30-40 kg paddy straw. Pressing the bed from the top and covering with clean polythene sheet for maintaining required humidity (80-85%) and temperature (30-35°C). Removal of polythene sheet after 7-8 da ys and maintain a temperature of 28-32°C with 80% humidity. Mushroom will start appearing after 4-5 days after the sheet is removed and will continue for next 20 days. After crop harvest the left over substrate can be co nverted into manure for its use in the fields.

Table 2. Amino acid contents of paddy straw mushroom

Fig. 2. Conventional method of paddy straw mushroom

cultivation

Note 

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For hot regions the width of bed can be decreased by placing first layer of 4 bundles followed by another layer of 4 bundles from opposite side but directly on the first layer. It is to be followed by 3rd, 4th and 5th layers. The 5th layer can be of bundles or of loosened paddy straw. The size of beds may vary from 100 x 100 x 100 cm; 60 x 60 x 30 cm; 60 x 60 x 120 cm. Alternatively the beds can be prepared with the help of boxes of 80x80x10 cm and 60x40x30 cm size. In this method the material is to be chopped to a uniform

length of 20cm followed by filling in box parallel to length of the box. It is followed by soaking of the material along with box in 2% CaCo3 solution for 2 hrs or until the straw becomes dark brown. It is followed by draining of excess water and spawning the substrate at a depth of 5 cm from the sides of the box, followed by plugging the openings with previously water soaked newsprint. The boxes are to be incubated at a temperature of 35 to 38°C with RH of 75% for next 4-5 days, followed by lowering of temperature to 28 to 30°C with 75 to 85% RH along with introduction of fresh air. Use of superfine mist is recommended for maintaining humidity in the room. Spray fine mist of water if drying of beds is noticed,further for good harvest maintain proper aeration, temperature and humidity. This can be best achieved by controlling the ventilation/AHU’s.

2. Improved cage cultivation (Fig. .3) a. Material required

1. Paddy straw bundles

60/Cage

2. Spawn bottle

2/Cage

Fig. 3. Cage cultivation 3. Wooden cage

1 No. (1 m x 50 cm x 25 cm)

4. Drum 1 No.

(100 liters cap.)

5. Polythene sheet

4 meters

6. Binding thread 7. Sprayer/Rose can 8. Dithane Z-78/Bavistin 9. Malathion 10. Dettol/Formalin

3 meters 1 No. 1 Pkt. (250 g) 1 bottle (250 ml) 1 bottle (1/2 liter)

11. Dao (Hand chopper) 12. Thermometer b. Methodology

1 No. 1 No.

Select dry, fresh and hand-threshed paddy straw free from moulds and leafy portion (Fig. 4). Make 25 cm long and 10 cm thick bundles @ 60 bundles for each cage (bed). Soak the bundles in boiling water for 20-30 minutes followed by draining off excess water. Disinfect the cage and polythene sheet with 2% formaline or dettol solution. Arrange ten straw bundles uniformly in the cage as the bottom layer and put some spawn grains over and inside the bundles. Put second layer of ten  bundles over the first and spawn as before Repeat this till six layers of bundles are achieved or

till the entire cage is filled. Spray 0.1% Malathion

Fig. .4. Stages of paddy straw mushroom cultivation

withtemperature around 30°C is helpful for  better  spawn run.

Remove the polythene sheet after the spawn run is complete. Maintain high humidity in the  bedand room till

pinheads appear. Pinheads appear within 10-15 days after spawning. Harvest mushrooms at the egg stage. Continue water spray for the next flush of mushrooms to appear within a week or so. 3. Outdoor method

The best place to cultivate paddy straw mushroom outdoor is under shade created by trees or creepers. The steps involved are as follows (Fig. 17.5). ● Prepare a raised

platform either using sand or bamboo poles or wooden planks or bricks. ● Prepare bundles of

45 cm length and 10 cm width.

● Soak the bundles in

running water or in 2% CaCO3 solution. ● Prepare a layer of

bundles (5 bundles x four layers) followed by spot spawning and covering spawn with gram dal powder. ● Lay 4 layers of

bundles during summer months and 7 layers during rainy season. ● Topping of bed with

20 cm deep layer of rice straw followed by covering with polythene sheet. ● Remove polythene

sheet after 4 days and sprinkle water carefully on 6th day. Water spray can be avoided during rainy season. ● Water should not be

sprayed after appearance of mushroom pinheads.

Select dry, fresh and hand-threshed paddy straw free from moulds and leafy portion (Fig. 4). Make 25 cm long and 10 cm thick bundles @ 60 bundles for each cage (bed). Soak the bundles in boiling water for 20-30 minutes followed by draining off excess water. Disinfect the cage and polythene sheet with 2% formaline or dettol solution. Arrange ten straw bundles uniformly in the cage as the bottom layer and put some spawn grains over and inside the bundles. Put second layer of ten bundles over the first and spawn as before Repeat this till six layers of bundles are achieved  or till the entire cage is filled.

Spray 0.1% Malathion and 0.2% Dithane Z-78 solutions all over the bed. Cover with polythenesheet and bind securely with a binding thread. Keep the spawned cages in a room or under a shed for spawn run. A warm  place withtemperature around 30°C is helpful for better  spawn run. Remove the polythene sheet after the spawn run is complete. Maintain high humidity in the bed and room till pinheads appear. Pinheads appear within 10-15 days after spawning. Harvest mushrooms at the egg stage.

Continue water spray for the next flush of mushrooms to appear within a week or so. 3. Outdoor method

The best place to cultivate paddy straw mushroom outdoor is under shade created by trees or creepers. The steps involved are as follows (Fig. 17.5). ● Prepare a raised platform either using sand or

bamboo poles or wooden planks or bricks. ● Prepare bundles of 45 cm length and 10 cm

width. ● Soak the bundles in running water or in 2%

CaCO3 solution. ● Prepare a layer of bundles (5 bundles x four

layers) followed by spot spawning and covering spawn with gram dal powder. ● Lay 4 layers of bundles during summer months

and 7 layers during rainy season. ● Topping of bed with 20 cm deep layer of rice straw

followed by covering with polythene sheet. ● Remove polythene sheet after 4 days and

sprinkle water carefully on 6th day. Water spray can be avoided during rainy season. ● Water should not be sprayed after appearance of mushroom pinheads.

BUTTON MUSHROOM 1.

INTRODUCTION

Button Mushroom ( Agaricus spp.) is the most popular mushroom variety grown and consumed the world over. In India, its production earlier was limited to the winter season, but with technology development, these are produced almost throughout the year in small, medium and large farms, adopting different levels of technology. The species being grown in most farms is the white button mushroom ( Agaricus bisporus) belonging to Class Basidiomycetes and Family Agaricaceae. 2.

OBJECTIVE

The main objective of the exercise is to present a small scale viable bankable model production unit through adoption of appropriate technology, utilization of resources and suitable market strategy. 3.

BACKGROUND

3.1

Origin

Cultivation of button mushrooms ( A.bisporus) started in the sixteenth century. However, on a commercial scale, the cultivation was initiated in Europe around 17th Century. Many farms for production of button mushrooms were established and this variety still dominates the world production and consumption. India, with its diverse agroclimate conditions and abundance of agricultural wastes, has been producing mushrooms, mainly for the domestic market, for more than four decades. Commercial production picked up in the nineties and several hi-tech export oriented farms were set up with foreign technology collaborations. But major share of mushroom production is still on small farms. 3.2

Botanical Description

The vegetative mycelium is composed of many inter-woven sepatate hyphae. The reproductive phase is initiated by the formation of small knob like swellings at different points of interwoven mycelial strands. These swellings increase in size and break through the surface of the substratum as small balls constituting the button stage. A matured basidiocarp (fruit body) is whitish in colour and consists of thick short stipe with an annulus. The stipe supports the pileus which appears as a hat like expansion. On the underside of the pileus, a number of radiating gills or lamella are present which are pink when young but purple-brown when mature. 3.3

Production Status

Large scale white button mushroom production is centred in Europe (mainly western part), North  America (USA, Canada) and S.E. Asia (China, Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan and India). The national annual production of mushrooms is estimated to be around 50,000 tonnes with 85 percent of this production being of button mushrooms. 3.4

Economic Importance

Mushrooms are highly proteinaceous and are used as food. The white button mushroom is sold as fresh mushroom or is canned and made into soups, sauces and other food products. Protein in mushrooms have 60-70 % digestibility and contains all the essential amino acids. It has medicinal properties also. A high amount of retene is present in the button mushroom which is supposed to have an antagonistic effect on some forms of tumours. 4.

MARKET ANALYSIS AND STRATEGY

4.1

Demand and Supply Patterns

White button mushrooms are grown all over the world and account for 35-45 % of the total mushroom production. In India, large units with production capacities between 2000  –  3000 tonnes / annum, have been set up mainly as export oriented units in the southern, western and northern regions. A large number of small units without climatic control equipment exist throughout India and function during the autumn and winter months only.  A big gap exists between the demand and supply position of white button mushrooms in the United States and European market. India exports the highest quantity of the mu shroom produced in the country to USA. Netherlands and China account for 60% of the export of mushrooms. Germany is the largest importer and France and UK are large producers as well as consumers. The demand for fresh mushroom is increasing in the international market while that of preserved or canned mushrooms is decreasing. The trend in export of mushrooms (fresh and dried/preserved form) from India during the period 1999-2000 to 2001-2002 is depicted in the graphs below.

The possibilities of exporting fresh mushrooms to the markets in Middle East, Europe and USA need to be explored. Europe is a very large producer of fresh button mushrooms as such only some exotic varieties of mushrooms which are high priced can be exported to these countries. However, some inhibiting factors are high cost of transportation and absence of proper precooling techniques and storage facilities. Marketing problem is experienced in the winter months (December- February) when more than 75% of the annual production comes in market for sale in limited duration and market area. Farmers face the consequences of over-saturated market and are forced to sell their produce at a cheaper price. The commercial units need to establish mushroom processing unit so that during peak periods when there is glut of mushrooms in the market, the growers can resort to preservation of mushroom and as such fluctuation in prices will not affect the project economy.

The price of fresh mushrooms during May-June in different markets viz. Chandigarh, Delhi and Mumbai varies between Rs.50 and Rs.100 /kg. Any mushroom unit located in and around the main markets should be able to make sufficient profit as they can save on transportation of produce. 4.2

Import / Export Trends

Netherlands is the leading exporter of button mushrooms (40% share) followed by China, France, Spain, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia and South Korea. USA is the largest consumer accounting for one third of World production. Other important consumers are Germany, UK, France, Italy and Canada. The quantity of mushrooms exported by India in comparison to the world export is almost negligible. The following tables 1& 2 gives the export status of fresh and dried mushrooms. Table-1: Country-wise quantity and value of fresh mushrooms exported from India during 2001 – 02. (Qty: tonnes; Value: Rs lakhs)

Country

Fresh Mushrooms Quantity Value

Ireland Singapore U.A.E U.S.A Total

40.80 0.05 0.05 11756.73 11797.63

14.55 0.02 0.01 5090.72 5105.30

Source: APEDA, New Delhi 

Table-2: Country-wise quantity and value of preserved/dried mushrooms exported from India during 2001 – 02 (Qty: tonnes; Value: Rs lakhs)

Country

Preserved/dried mushrooms Quantity Value

France

40.00

41.64

Japan

1.00

10.36

Nigeria

6.58

5.59

Russia

11.00

16.33

1.00

6.38

U.A.E

10.01

4.08

U.S.A

4029.66

2057.16

Switzerland

Total

4099.25

2142.25

Source: APEDA, New Delhi 

The most important importers of white button mushroom are Germany, USA, France, U.K. and Sweden. Canned button mushrooms are imported by UK, Germany, France, USA, Sweden etc.  Asian countries like China, Taiwan, Korea export their produce to the American and European countries in the form of canned mushrooms.

4.3

Analysis and Future Strategy

Marketing of mushrooms in India is not yet organized. It is the simple system of producers selling directly to retailer or even to the consumer. Wholesale distributor is mostly missing. However, trade in the processed (canned and dried) is sizeable and organized. In other countries 10% of the total cost is earmarked for marketing. Production of mushrooms, especially of the white button mushrooms, in India has gone up during recent years creating marketing problems. The market for processed foods has yet to develop in the country and basically fresh fruits and vegetables are preferred. Per capita consumption of mushrooms in India is hardly 5 g. as against over a kg. in developed countries. There has not been any serious effort to promote the product and to strengthen and expand the market in order to increase consumption. The marginal increase in demand is for fresh mushrooms instead of dried/preserved mushrooms. Fresh mushrooms have very short shelf-life and therefore cannot be transported to long distances without refrigerated transport facility. They are sold in the markets in and around the production areas. The cultivation of white button mushrooms throughout the year under controlled condition is restricted to a few commercial units and much of the production is under natural conditions during the winters. Majority of the growers in India do not have pasteurization facility and other sophisticated machinery/infrastructure for round the year production of white button mushroom.  As such, button mushroom is cultivated seasonally when climatic conditions are favourable and production expenses are minimum. Many growers in Haryana, especially in Sonepat, Ambala and Hisar have revolutionized the cultivation of white button mushroom by adopting very simple and cheap technology of construction of mushroom houses (mud houses with thathched roofs). Seasonal growing of white button mushroom in Haryana and Punjab has many advantages like nearness to market, easy and cheap availability of raw material coupled with utilization of family labour. The growers in HP do not use compost prepared by long method because pasteurized compost is readily available from mushroom projects located at Solan and Palampur.

5.

PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY

5.1

Agro-climatic Requirements

In India, button mushrooms are grown seasonally and in environment controlled cropping houses. White button mushroom requires 20-280 C for vegetative growth (spawn run) and 12-180 C for reproductive growth. Besides that it requires relative humidity of 80-90% and enough ventilation during cropping. Seasonally, it is grown during the winter months in the north-west plains of India and for 8-10 months in a year on the hills. However, with the advent of modern cultivation technology it is now possible to cultivate this mushroom anywhere in India. The growers can take on an average 3-4 crops of white button mushrooms in a year depending upon the type and varieties cultivated. Factors affecting the yield of the crop both in terms of quality and quantity are incidence of pests/pathogens and non-availability of pure quality of spawn. 5.2

Growing and Potential Belts

The major producing states are Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. 5.3

Varieties / Strains

Ooty 1 and Ooty (BM) 2 (released in 2002) are the two strains of button mushrooms released for commercial cultivation by the scientists of Horticulture Research Station of the Tamil Nadu  Agricultural University at Vijayanagaram, Ooty. The strains which are mostly cultivated in India are S-11, TM-79 and Horst H3.. 5.4

Cultivation Technology

The whole process of mushroom production can be divided into the following steps: (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) 5.4.1

Spawn production Compost preparation Spawning Spawn running Casing Fruiting

Spawn Production

Spawn is produced from fruiting culture / stocks of selected strains of mushrooms under sterile conditions. Stock culture may be produced in the lab or may be obtained from other reputed sources. Fruiting culture is mainly imported from various places including foreign sources which give higher yield than Indian strains and the spawn is produced in the lab. The spawn should be of good quality in terms of flavour, texture and size apart from having potential for high yield and longer shelf life. 5.4.2

Compost Preparation

The substrate on which button mushroom grows is mainly prepared from a mixture of plant wastes (cereal straw/ sugarcane bagasse etc.), salts (urea , superphosphate / gypsum etc), supplements (rice bran/ wheat bran) and water. In order to produce 1 kg.of mushroom, 220 g. of dry substrate materials are required. It is recommended that each ton of compost should contain 6.6 kg. nitrogen, 2.0 kg. phosphate and 5.0 kg. of potassium (N:P:K- 33: 10:25) which would get converted into 1.98% N, 0.62% P and 1.5% K on a dry weight basis. The ratio of C: N in a good substrate should be 25-30 : 1 at the time of staking and 16-17 : 1 in the case of final compost. (A)

Short Method of composting

During the first phase of compost preparation, paddy straw is placed in layers and sufficient water is added to the stack along with fertilizers, wheat bran, molasses etc. The whole thing is mixed thoroughly with the straw and made into a stack (almost 5feet high,5 feet wide and of any length can be made with the help of wooden boards). The stack is turned and again watered on the second day. On the fourth day the stack is again turned for the second time by adding gypsum and watered. The third and final turning is given on the twelveth day when the colour of the compost changes into dark brown and it starts emitting a strong smell of ammonia. The second phase is the pasteurization phase .The compost prepared as a result of microbe mediated fermentation process needs to be pasteurized in order to k ill undesirable microbes and competitors and to convert ammonia into microbial protein.The whole process is carried out inside a steaming room where an air temperature of 600 C is maintained for 4 hours. The compost finally obtained should be granular in structure with 70% moisture content and pH 7.5. It should have a dark brown colour, sweet unobnoxious smell and free from ammonia, insects and nematodes.  After the process is complete, the substrate is cooled down to 250 C. (B)

Long Method of composting

The long method of composting is usually practiced in areas where facilities for steam pasteurization is not available. In this method, the first turning is given about six days after preparation of the substrate for composting. The second turning is given on the tenth day followed by third one on the thirteenth day when gypsum is added. The fourth, fifth and sixth turnings are given on the sixteenth, nineteenth and twenty-second day. On the twenty-fifth day the seventh

turning is given by adding 10% BHC (125 g.) and the eighth turning is given on the twenty-eighth day after which it is checked whether there is any smell of ammonia present in the compost. The compost is ready for spawning only if it doesn’t have any smell of ammonia; otherwise a few more turnings are given at an interval of three days till there is no smell of ammonia. 5.4.3

Spawning

The process of mixing spawn with compost is called spawning. The different methods followed for spawning are given below: Spot Spawning:  Lumps of spawn are planted in 5 cm. deep holes made in the

(i) (ii)

(iii)

compost at a distance of 20-25 cm. The holes are later covered with compost. Surface Spawning:  The spawn is evenly spread in the top layer of the compost and then mixed to a depth of 3-5 cm. The top portion is covered with a thin layer of compost. Layer Spawning: About 3-4 layers of spawn mixed with compost are prepared which is again covered with a thin layer of compost like in surface spawning.

The spawn is mixed through the whole mass of compost at the rate of 7.5 ml./ kg. compost or 500 to 750 g./ 100 kg. compost (0.5 to 0.75%). 5.4.4

Spawn Running

 After the spawning process is over, the compost is filled in polythene bags(90x90 cm., 150 gauge thick having a capacity of 20-25 kg. per bag)/ trays(mostly wooden trays 1x1/2 m. accommodating 20-30 kg. compost) / shelves which are either covered with a newspaper sheet or polythene. The fungal bodies grow out from the spawn and take about two weeks (12-14 days) to colonise. The temperature maintained in cropping room is 23 ± 2 0  C. Higher temperature is detrimental for growth of the spawn and any temperature below than that specified for the purpose would result in slower spawn run. The relative humidity should be around 90% and a higher than normal CO2 concentration would be beneficial. 5.4.5

Casing

The compost beds after complete spawn run should be covered with a layer of soil (casing) about 3-4 cm. thick to induce fruiting. The casing material should be having h igh porosity, water holding capacity and the pH should range between 7-7.5. Peat moss which is considered to be the best casing material is not available in India, as such the mixtures like garden loam soil and sand (4:1); decomposed cowdung and loam soil (1:1) and spent compost (2-3 years old); sand and lime are commonly used.

The casing soil before application should be either pasteurized (at 66-700 C for 7-8 hours), treated with formaldehyde (2%), formaldehyde (2%) and bavistin (75 ppm.) or steam sterilized. The treatment needs to be done at least 15 days before the material is used for casing. After casing is done the temperature of the room is again maintained at 23-280 C and relative humidity of 8590% for another 8-10 days. Low CO2concentration is favourable for reproductive growth at this stage. 5.4.6

Fruiting

Under favourable environmental conditions viz. temperature (initially 23 ± 2 0 C for about a week and then 16 ± 20 C ), moisture (2-3 light sprays per day for moistening the casing layer), humidity( above 85%), proper ventilation and CO2 concentration (0.08-0.15 %) the fruit body initials which appear in the form of pin heads start growing and gradually develop into button stage. 5.5

Pest & Diseases

The insect pests  mostly observed are nematodes, mites and springtails. The crop is suspect to several diseases like Dry Bubble (brown spot), Wet Bubble (White Mould), Cobweb, Green Mould, False truffle (Truffle disease), Olive green mould, Brown plaster mould and Bacterial blotch. Professional help and extension advice will have to sought by the entrepreneur to adopt appropriate and timely control measures against pests & diseases.

5.6

Harvesting and Yield

Harvesting is done at button stage and caps measuring 2.5 to 4 cm. across and closed are ideal for the purpose. The first crop appears about three weeks after casing. Mushrooms need to be harvested by light twisting without disturbing the casing soil. Once the harvesting is complete, the gaps in the beds should be filled with fresh sterilized casing material and then watered.  About 10-14 kg. fresh mushrooms per 100 kg. fresh compost can be obtained in two months crop. Short method used for preparation of compost under natural conditions gives more yield (15-20 kg. per 100 kg. compost). 6.

POST HARVEST MANAGEMENT

6.1

Packing and Storage

(A)

Short Term Storage

Button mushrooms are highly perishable. Harvested mushrooms are cut at the soil line and washed in a solution of 5g. KMS in 10L. of water for removing the soil particles as well as to

induce whiteness. After removing excess water these are packed in perforated poly bags each containing around 250-500 g. of mushrooms. They can be stored in polythene bags at 4-5 0 C for a short period of 3-4 days. The mushrooms are usually packed in unlabelled simple polythene or polypropylene for retail sale. Bulk packaging does not exist. In developed countries, modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) and controlled atmosphere packaging (CAP) are in vogue. (B)

Long Term Storage

White button mushrooms are not usually dried by common procedures used in case of oyster, paddy and shitake mushrooms. Canning is the most popular method of preserving the white button mushrooms and sizeable quantity of canned produce are exported to international markets. Besides that, freeze drying, IQF and pickling are also practiced by some units. 7.

SOURCES OF TECHNOLOGY

(i)

8. 8.1

National Centre for Mushroom, Chambaghat, Solan, Himachal Pradesh-173213, [Tel: (01792) 30451, 30767]

ECONOMICS OF A SMALL SCALE MODEL

The demand for Button mushroom is fast increasing in international markets and a big gap exists between supply supply and demand. There is need to take take advantage of this situation by encouraging its production which is a highly viable venture as brought out below:

Costs & Returns 8.2

The minimum viable production unit will require a land site of 1.5 acres. The cost components of this model along with the basis for costing are exhibited in A nnexur nnex ure e I . A summary is given in the figure below. Inclusive of contingencies, the project cost cost works out to Rs.107 lakhs as below. (Rs. In Lakhs)

Project cost

Land & Site Development Building Plant & Machinery Misc. Fixed Assets Contingency Pre-Operative Cost Total

Amount

5.15 44.96 47.00 0.75 4.88 4.25 106.99

8.3

The major components of the model are: 











Cost of acquiring land land and its development (Rs.5.15 lakhs): The land would have have to be acquired in areas well well connected to urban markets. On an average the cost of land might be put at Rs.3 lakhs per acre. Cost of levelling the site (including fencing etc.) would be Rs.0.15 lakhs and cost of putting up guard rooms would be Rs.50 thousand. Building (Rs.44.96 lakhs): The estimated cost of this component works out to around Rs.45 lakhs, major item being growing room at the cost of Rs.25.92 lakhs.

Plant & Machinery (Rs.47.00 lakhs): lakhs): The cost of equipping the production unit works out to Rs.30 lakhs, that of compost and casing unit to Rs.7 lakhs and that of installing canning facilities, spawn Lab and other equipments to Rs.10 lakhs. Miscellaneous Fixed Assets (Rs.0.75 lakhs): This is the estimated cost of building up a communication system and furnishing. Pre-operative Expenses (Rs.4.25 lakhs): These include professional charges, administrative expenses and other start up expenses.

There would be three sources of financing  the project as below: Source Farmer’s share 

Capital subsidy Term loan Total 8.4

Rs. Lakhs

53.50 21.40 32.10 107.00

How to Grow Oyster Mushroom Spawn (Low Tech) byrocketsurgery in homegardening

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Once you have been growing your own oyster mushrooms successfully and enjoying the fruits of your labour, you may like to complete the cycle and become independent by producing your own oyster mushroom spawn. This instructable describes how to propagate oyster mushroom spawn via grain spawn transfer, agar tissue culture transfer and liquid inoculation methods. These methods are all low tech (requiring only basic equipment), covering the pleurotus ostreatus (winter) and pleurotus pulmonarius (summer) varieties. See related instructable - How to Grow Oyster Mushrooms (Low Tech)

Step 1: Materials

Show All Items

You will need... Wide Mouthed Jars  (1 litre)

Pressure Cooker  with pressure gauge  installed (22 litre – to fit approximately 8 Jars)

Seed or Grain (birdseed or millet seemed to work well) Cotton Wool (to filter out contaminants) Bowls (to soak grain) Sieve and Ladle (to rinse and drain grain) Spoon, Knife and Fork (for working with spawn) Aluminium Foil  (for wrapping jar lids etc in pressure cooker)

Drill (to provide air hole in jar lids) For Grain Spawn Transfer:Original Spawn Master  (Pleurotus ostreatus (for winter) or Pleurotus pulmonarius (for summer) buy online and have it delivered For Agar Tissue Culture : Scalpel , Alcohol Burner , Petri Dishes , Nutrient Agar and Young Mushrooms For spore-mass/liquid inoculation:Syringe  (5ml), Mushroom Spores , Jar of Sterilised Water Clean Room:Wood, Plastic, Silicon Sealer , Nails, Staples, Bleach

How to Grow Oyster Mushrooms (Low Tech) by rocketsurgery in homegardening

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We have been introducing mushroom cultivation as a nutritional supplement and cash crop for the landless poor. Oyster mushrooms are a high yield, fast growing crop. They are known to help lower cholesterol levels and are a great source of potassium, iron and protein. This instructable gives a low tech, step by step guide to growing both pleurotus ostreatus (winter strain) and pleurotus pulmonarius (summer strain). Oyster mushrooms are highly tolerant of variations in temperature, humidity, light levels and carbon dioxide levels, making it a great choice for first time growers.

See related instructable - How to Grow Oyster Mushroom Spawn (Low Tech)

Step 1: Materials

You will need... Straw (the medium for growing the mushrooms in) Containers  (for soaking straw)

Plastic bags (or reusable containers for holding straw) Elastic bands or string  (to constrict bag opening) Cotton wool (to filter out contaminants) Barrel or drum  (for pasteurising the straw) Material liner (for holding bags within barrel) Gas burner (for heating barrel) Bleach spray (to clean growing room) Spoon, gloves, clean clothes, face mask  (to look the part when inoculating straw) A growing area that can retain moisture in the air, shaded with some light Possibly plastic sheeting  (to help retain humidity & to reduce other unwanted moulds) Mushroom spawn (see How to Grow Mushroom Spawn) A water or weed sprayer  (to increase humidity within growing room) A thermometer and hygrometer  (to keep an eye on temperature and relative humidity) ADVERTISEMENT

Step 2: Soak Straw, Drain and Bag

The mushrooms require a medium to grow in, in this case we will be using straw. The straw length should be approximately 5-10 cm (2-4 inches). Placing the straw in water tight containers, submerge the straw in water for 24 hours. Wash, rinse and drain thoroughly, then bag in 5 litre plastic bags ready for pasteurising.

Step 3: Pasteurise

Position your drum onto the heat source (we used a gas burner), pouring around 40 litres of water into the drum. Place a suitable platform at the bottom of the drum, one that will keep the bags above the water yet allow steam to rise. Insert a material bin liner and fill with the prepared bags of straw. Close off the bags with the liner and cover the drum with a lid. Heat the drum, steaming the bags for approximately 60 minutes. It should take around 30 minutes for the steam to make its way to the top bags (the temperature should near 95°C ~200°F). Leave to cool, removing the bags and transferring them to the growing area.

Step 4: Prepare Growing Room

The growing room should be clean and dimly lit (shaded with indirect sunlight), able to retain moisture in the air yet also provide an airflow when ventilation is needed. Plastic sheeting can be used to seal off an area to help retain humidity and to reduce other unwanted moulds and insects. To prepare the room for the inoculations, spray a 1:20 (5%) solution of bleach along walls and corners (any area where mould might like to grow). Temperatures of 10°C to 24°C (50°F to 75°F) for pleurotus ostreatus (winter) and 10°C to 30°C (50°F to 85°F) for pleurotus pulmonarius (summer) should be available depending on stage of growth (initial spawn run, colonisation, pinning and fruiting).

Step 5: Inoculate Bags

Before inoculating the bags of straw, make sure you have showered and are wearing clean clothes. Clean your hands with antibacterial soap or wear sterile gloves. A face mask and hair cap will also help reduce contamination (we are very dirty creatures). Open the bags of straw and the mushroom spawn. Taking a sterile spoon, place a few spoonfuls into the straw, breaking it up and mixing lightly. As a general rule, the more spawn you add, the faster the substrate will be colonised (with 1 litre of spawn, we inoculated about 10 bags - you could inoculate more). Restrict the opening of the bag by placing a rubber band (or cord) around the bag's neck. Taking a small piece of cotton wool, plug the bag's opening to reduce the chances of contamination and insect infestation. Leave to incubate.

Step 6: Encourage Colonisation

Once inoculated, the bags should be left to incubate. During this time the spawn "runs" (mycelium spreads) throughout the straw. The spawn run will be complete when the mycelium has spread entirely throughout the bag (the straw is then fully colonised). Depending on the mushroom variety, humidity and temperature, this process should take between 1 to 3 weeks. Pleurotus ostreatus (winter), 24°C (75°F) 2 to 3 weeks Pleurotus pulmonarius (summer), 24°C to 30°C (75 to 85°F) 1 to 2 weeks

During incubation, light is not required, however, make sure the bags have plenty of fresh air.

Step 7: Monitor Bags

It is important to monitor the bags for any sign of unwanted moulds and pests. While the straw is still in the bags, you shouldn't have a problem with insects or mice. However, the best policy for fighting both contamination and infestation, is prevention. You may want to spray some surfaces to deter flies and other insects from setting up home, mesh any windows and keep doors closed. Regularly check bags for any mould contamination and remove any infected bags from the growing area. Black mould found within the straw may indicate ineffective sterilisation. You may also notice sprouting straw and the appearance of unwanted mushrooms such as the ink cap (see pictures). Green moulds are common and can be caused by contaminated spawn (ineffective grain sterilisation), high moisture / low spawn levels and ineffective straw sterilisation. At this early stage, it is better to simply remove infected bags, as you want to prevent its spread. Up to a 10% loss due to contamination is generally regarded as acceptable.

Finally, as the bags become fully colonised, the initial stages of fruiting (or pinning) may be seen.

Step 8: Encourage Pinning

Once pinning has started, it is time to remove the substrate from the bags. Pinning naturally occurs as humidity increases, low levels of light appear and temperature levels fall. Increase the growing room humidity by regularly spraying with a water sprayer (avoid spraying directly on the mushrooms). You can also wet the floor and leave open containers of water in the room (95-100% humidity is recommended). As our climate is very dry, we only managed 60% at best, dropping down to 40%, by spraying 5 litres of water 2 - 3 times a day (even at these humidity levels a good result can be achieved). To prevent excessive CO2 levels, allow the growing area to flush with clean air before spraying. If you can, regulate the temperature accordingly.

Pleurotus ostreatus (winter), 10-15°C (50-60°F) Pleurotus pulmonarius (summer), 10-24°C to 30°C (50-75°F)

You may notice an initial drying out of early stage pinning, as you remove the plastic. As you maintain the humidity levels this will regenerate. Keep a close eye on flies and spray when needed. If any mould is found, either remove the infected straw or the entire mound from the growing area.

Step 9: Harvesting

As the mushrooms begin fruiting, it is important to keep the humidity high (8590% is recommended). As before, allow air to flush through the growing area prior to spraying (oyster mushrooms require a consistent source of fresh air). Temperatures can now be higher than for the initial pinning stage. Pleurotus ostreatus (winter), 10°C to 20°C (~50°F to 70°F) Pleurotus pulmonarius (summer), 16°C to 28°C (~60°F to 80°F)

Remember to constantly monitor for pests, such as flies and mice, as they can quickly ruin a crop. You should expect three or more crops, each taking around a week or so to mature. You may harvest the mushrooms at any size, however, once a mushroom has reached its full size, you will notice it will begin to dry, turning a yellowish colour (they taste great, even dry). When harvesting, remove the mushroom completely, by twisting firmly at its base. After harvesting a few crops, we found it helpful to stack the mounds of straw, which seemed to help increase the yield. If you find your mushrooms with long stalks and small caps, they may not be getting enough light, also high CO2 levels can also lead to small deformities (allow for more fresh air). After the straw ceases to produce mushrooms, it can be fed to livestock or composted. Now, finally take your harvested mushrooms and create a delicious mushroom meal. Enjoy. See related instructable - How to Grow Oyster Mushroom Spawn (Low Tech)

image: wikipedia

Mushroom cultivation on paddy straw creates new income, decreases air pollution INDIA CIRCULAR ECONOMY COMMUNITY FEATURES

March 10, 2015 6:57 am by Tim Willmott : Be the first to leave a comment  Naresh Kumar of Puthar village in Haryana’s Panipat district is among the many farmers who have started farming mushrooms using paddy straw for preparing the compost needed to grow them. This has nearly ended the practice of burning crop stubble in the block. The problem of pollution caused by burning of straws in the agricultural states of Punjab and Haryana was so severe that in 2012 the US’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration released a satellite image showing fires across millions of hectares of agricultural fields in the region. The smog and haze it caused even affected Delhi situated 100 km south. There were local concerns as well. “The burning of straw heated land and killed soil microorganisms, harming its productivity,” says Kavita, a farmer from Puthar, adding that now farmers not only use  paddy straw in mushroom farming, they also sell it to farmers in the adjoining state of Uttar Pradesh. Indravati, a 60-year-old farmer of Israne, says the smog would cause her breathing problems. “But I have been feeling better since the past two years,” she adds.

“Israne has 17,600 hectares of paddy fields and estimates show one hectare of paddy produces 2.6 tonnes of straw,” says Rajendra Singh, agriculture officer of Israne. “Mushroom farming has ensured that Israne has stopped burning about 46,000 tonnes of paddy straw a year,” Singh calculates. Today more than 20 marginal farmers run over 100 mushroom farms in Israne. “The total annual turnover from mushroom farming in Puthar is over Rs 2 crore,” says Rajendra Singh. The main reason farmers were burning their field stubble was the lack of options to dispose of the straw. The easiest way was to burn it. The government had recommended that farmers should take it to the nearest biomass plant. But transporting it was costly, particularly in cases where biomass  plants were not close to the village. The problem worsened with mechanisation of agriculture. When paddy is harvested by machines, only the rice gr ains get plucked and long stumps of the crop are left rooted. “In our hurry to prepare the field for the rabi crop, we would just burn the straw,” says Jitendra Singh, a big landholder from Puthar. But when harvesting is done manually, the crop is hacked almost from its base, removing the need to burn the stumps.

panipat, hayana, india

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Article by Tim Willmott Tim is the creator of sustainapedia.com and heads digital publisher Treading Lightly. His interests include nature and wild places, cooking, film, sport and music. He is a poet, writer and commentator. View more by Tim Willmott

Mushrooms: The vegetable of the future

N.S.K. Harsh and  Kirti Joshi

In India, mushroom is a unique non-traditional cash crop grown indoors, both as a seasonal crop and round-the-year under the controlled environmental conditions. About 2000 species of fungi are used as food by tribes and various communities, however, only a few are cultivated. Climatic conditions in India are favourable for natural occurrence of mushrooms and some of them are regularly collected and used as food by the natives particularly those belonging to tribes. The common mushrooms collected from nature are species of  Astraeus, Auricularia, Calvatia, Cantharellus, Lycoperdon, Morchella, Schizophyllum, Termitomyces, Tuber etc.

World Production World production of mushroom is growing and now exceeds three million tonnes worth a market value of US $ 10 billion and Agaricus bisporus accounts for most of this production. Globally, mushrooms are traded mostly in processed form. However, lately fresh mushrooms are being preferred over preserved ones in EU and American countries. Major exporting countries of fresh mushrooms are Netherlands, Poland, Ireland and Belgium. China is the largest exporter of preserved mushrooms with a market share of 41.82%. Netherlands (25.11%) and Spain (7.37 %) are the other major countries. India ranks sixth with a market share of 4.44 %. The major importing countries of prepared and preserved mushrooms are Germany, USA and France while of fresh mushrooms are U.K, Germany, USA and France.

Fig 1: World production of fresh Mushrooms (2007) Source: APEDA Reports

Though China (47 %) is the major producer of Mushrooms, nevertheless maximum portion is consumed by USA (30 %) followed by Germany (17 %).

Fig 2: World Mushroom consumption Source: National Research Center of Mushroom (NRCM) Report 2007

Indian status India is not a major producer of any of the mushroom varieties but it does cultivate mushrooms and has a great potential as an important producer in the future. Currently India stands 54 in the world ranking of producers. The per capita consumption of mushroom in India is currently only about 25 g per year as compared to USA which is around 3.8 kg. There has been a steady increase in the consumption of exotic mushrooms in addition to use of regular button mushrooms. Mushroom production in India has been estimated at 48000 tonnes per annum. Punjab alone produces 20-25 % of total produce followed by Himachal Pradesh and Haryana. Currently three varieties of mushrooms are being cultivated in India. These are the white button mushroom ( Agaricus bisporus), the paddy straw mushroom (Volvariella

vovacea)

and

the

oyster

mushroom

(Pleurotus

sajor

caju)

Of

these A.bisporus is the most widely and economically cultivated variety throughout the world.

India’s exports of preserved and prepared mushrooms showed a steady growth from Rs. 47 Crores in 2005-06 to Rs. 108 Crores in 2006-07 thereby showing a growth of

39 % in 2006-07. However the export of fresh mushrooms declined from Rs. 7.5 crores in 2005-06 Crores to 4.2 Crores in 2006-07. USA continues to be the largest market for Indian mushrooms, accounting for a share of 69.52% in 2006-07. Other growing export markets include Mexico and Israel.

It can be seen that though India’s present share in the world production is meager but still the potential for future growth is rated high. The natural advantages for mushroom cultivation in India are the availability of cheap labor as this is a labor intensive process, presence of seasonal variations enabling us to cultivate different mushrooms under natural conditions in the form of crop rotation in different seasons and regions and lastly the abundance & availability of variety of agrowastes at low prices for mushroom cultivation.

Fig 3: Export Value of fresh, dried & preserved mushrooms/morels to different countries 2007 Source: Apeda reports

Laboratories Three institutes are currently involved in Mushroom studies namely Central Food Technological Research Institute (CSIR), RRL Jammu (CSIR) and National Research Center for Mushroom (ICAR). The major achievements till date are development of

single spore isolates (SSI) and hybrids of   Agaricus bisporus out of which five SSI’s NCS-100, NCS-101, CM-3, CM-5 & CM-9 and a hybrid NCH-102 have been released and two superior strains viz. NCB-13 and NCB-6 have been identified which are suitable for cultivation in plains pl ains and low hills. Cultivation and production technology (dehydrated)

of

shiitake

mushroom

and

oyster

mushroom

has

also

been

standardized, enhanced the quality and storage period, developed technologies for production of many value- added products of mushrooms mushrooms -dried, pickle , soup powder etc.

All India Coordinated Mushroom Improvement Project

The All India Coordinated Mushroom Improvement Project was launched in the year 1984 with its headquarters at the National Research Centre for Mushroom, Solan. Under this programme the coordinating centres conduct multi-locational trials on the technologies developed by the centre on all India bases. The coordinating centres (state agricultural universities) are located at Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Kerala and Bihar.

Government support There

is

a

central

scheme

on

mushroom

farming

by Ministry

of

rural

development which can be availed through CAPART and other is through Min. of Food Processing. The main focus of this scheme to train, information dissemination, technical and financial assistance for preparation of cultures/spawn cultivation, harvesting, storage, processing, packaging, marketing linkages with farmers to employment opportunities and generating income with special emphasis on women.Other women.Other than this different types of financial assistance and soft loans are also available from National Co-operative Development Corporation (NCDC NCDC)), National Horticulture Board (N.H.B. (N.H.B.)),A.P.E.D.A. A.P.E.D.A.,,  State Govt. Agencies responsible for development of Agriculture and Agro-based ventures.

Medicinal properties Antitumour, Antitumour, anti-cancer and many other therapeutic properties have been attributed to mushrooms. Being rich in folic acid they counteract pernicious anemia. The polysaccharides polysaccharides found in mushrooms have proven antitumour activity. Antimalarial, antifungal and antiviral principles are attributed to many mushrooms. Cholesterol (dreaded sterol for heart patients) is absent but ergosterol is present that is converted to vitamin D by human body. High K:Na ratio is found in most mushrooms which is desirable desirable for patients with hypertension. Besides this the high high fiber content helps easier digestion.

Value addition Value added products from mushroom are a promising enterprise. Mushroom being highly perishable forces the producer to preserve and process it. Preservation is essential to make it available throughout the year to retain maximum nutrients, texture and flavour and to increase its per capita consumption in developing countries. The value added products will not only cater to the protein and micronutrient requirement but at the same time will enable the population to live a healthy life. But food processing in India is not only far behind the developed countries of the world but is much less than developing countries like Philippines and China where value addition is 45 per cent and 23 per cent, respectively as compared with 7 per cent in India. Presently the mushroom products available are bakery products (biscuits, bread, cakes), pickles, chutneys, nuggets, papads & fast food items like burgers, cutlets and pizza etc.

Sustenance Sustenance from wild edible mushrooms:

The variety which had been exported

in dried form i.e. Moral or Black mushrooms ( Morchella Spp) Spp) commonly known as

 ‘Guchhi’ is collected as wild growth from coniferous coniferous forests of Himachal Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh. Morels (gucchhi) growing only in wild, are the most valued wild mushroom in Western Europe particularly France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland. The international international trade in dried morels is estimated to 225 tons annually. The suppliers are India, China, Turkey, Pakistan, North America and Eastern Europe. Pakistan alone exports nearly 65 tons annually. It is claimed that 2,89,000

persons are engaged annually in Pakistan in morel mushroom hunting on part time basis including 33% women, 27% men and 40% children from March to July months. The price for one kilogram dried morels is US $ 50 for the collector, $ 166 for wholesaler, $ 216 for for exporter $ 330 for the importer. importer. The global trade for yellow chanterelle mushroom ((Cantherellus Cantherellus spp.) is much more lucrative than for morels, 200000 metric tons are bought and sold annually worldwide ranging from 1.25 to 1.4 billion US dollars every year. Germany is largest importer, followed by France and other Western Europe. In

Himachal

Pradesh

and

Jammu

&

Kashmir Morchella spp.

are

collected

systematically during the growing seasons (spring and sometimes after rainy season) and sold to established markets both fresh and as dried mushrooms. In Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and north eastern states wild mushrooms are sold in the local markets and provide sustenance to the tribal people and forest dwellers during the lean period (rainy season) when other non-wood forest products are not available in the forests. In the north-east of India some commonly wild mushrooms used in food are Auriculari are Auricularia a auricula, Schizophyllum Schizophyllum commune, commune, Lentinus Lentinus spp.,  spp., etc. There is scope to tap the potential in and outside of our forests for providing sustained livelihood and profit to the people through systematic collection and processing of wild mushrooms, which is till today limited to the collection of morels only. Guarding against non-edible, toxic substances in wild mushrooms:  Mushroom

diversity is abundant in nature, especially in forests. Mushroom collectors flock the areas during the growing season chiefly in rainy season to hunt for prized and delicious ones. Unfortunately, there are always cases of mushroom poisoning sometimes leading to death during such collections all over the world. However, it is the experience and knowledge of the people about these mushrooms that comes handy in choosing from the diverse types especially edible and poisonous ones. As such there are no conclusive rules for distinguishing between edible and poisonous mushrooms. mushrooms. Thumb rules like flesh f lesh of mushroom turning bluish on exposure, brightly coloured fruiting bodies, unpleasant odour and fibrous flesh are followed in avoiding mushrooms for edible purposes. But the time tested rule is to go for the known ones and not to experiment with the new ones. Correct taxonomic identification and established facts about edibility of mushrooms should be followed while collecting mushrooms

from

the

wild

for

food.

For

example,

the

prized gucchi  (morels,Morchella  (morels,Morchella spp.) are ar e easy to t o distinguish, distingu ish, however, howe ver, there ther e is another mushroom Gyromitra spp. Gyromitra spp. which resembles to Morchella to Morchella  to some extent and can lead to mishap even if a single fruiting body is present in the collection. Similarly some mushrooms like species of Amanita of  Amanita and  and Psilocybe are Psilocybe  are known for hallucinogenic

effects and addicted people are always in a look out for them, however, an overdose is always fatal. cultivation started somewhere in late sixties and early seventies in the country and since then has come a long way of self sufficiency in meeting demands of the users in the country as well as of exports. We had fewer consumers in the eighties for cultivated mushrooms due to biasness, lack of awareness and taste but now mushrooms form a special dish on every occasion and demands and production has grown manifold. Sustenance

through

mushroom

cultivation: Mushroom

Three mushrooms are commonly cultivated throughout India namely button ( Agaricus bisporus), Oyster (Pleurotus spp.) and paddy straw mushroom (Volvariella volvacea). Their ability to grow on agricultural wastes in less area required for cultivation makes an attractive proposition for income generation. The added advantage is in improvement in dietary leading to solution to malnutrition, pollution abatement and diversification of agriculture. Mushroom cultivation produces about 32 tons of dry protein per year in per acre of land while by fish farming only 3 quintals of proteins can be produced. The agriculture wastes which are burnt and cause environmental pollution, if can be used for mushroom cultivation will not only check pollution but will also play an important role in carbon sequestration and proper utilization of waste products. Mushroom cultivation also provides employment generation. There is ample scope to earn more from mushroom cultivation using some innovation like attractive packaging for longer shelf-life, processing units for canned items, value addition and new products such as mushroom nuggets ( burries), biscuits, papads, pickles, soup powder, etc.

Food security Mushrooms are of excellent food value as they provide a full protein food containing all the twenty one amino acids besides containing useful amount of fats, vitamins and minerals. Mushroom protein being easily digestible (70-90%) is considered superior to vegetable proteins. Two essential amino acids lysine and tryptophan are enormously present in mushrooms which are not found in cereals. Being low in caloric value (300 – 390 Kcal/100 g dry wt), low fat and high protein, they are considered

as ‘delight of diabetic patients’. Folic acid and Vitamin B -12 which are normally absent in vegetarian foods are present in mushrooms (3 g fresh mushroom can supply 1 micro g vitamin B12, recommended for daily uptake).

At present we have the lowest rate of protein consumption and due to population explosion the problem of protein hunger will become more acute. Under prevailing circumstances all possible sources of protein products will have to be exploited to save the country from hunger and malnutrition. Edible mushrooms can therefore be used as a weapon against starvation because of its high protein and vitamin content. And in a way contribute to food security by being easily available, affordable and usable.

Major constraints As aforementioned, mushrooms with its huge health benefits can solve many a problems of undernutrition and malnutrition. Despite this fact mushroom cultivation and its utilization is not catching up fast. The major constraints and how this can be prevailed over are: 





Mushrooms are not popular in India. Both produces and consumers are not aware of its intrinsic worth. This can be overcome by organizing campaigns, training programmes, workshops, propagating its virtues through media etc. Being highly perishable, lack of immediate access to markets is a major bottleneck in mushroom farming. The seasonality and wide fluctuation in collection results into erratic procurement and supply. The collection therefore may be organized by farming co-operatives or by NGOs/Traders. As Mushrooms have to be immediately processed to increase its shelf life period, lack of storage facilities like processing units, cold storage, refrigerated transport etc are also one of the deterrents.

So it can be inferred that production of highly perishable commodities such as mushroom need a lot more than interim infrastructural facilities. It needs a synergy between various segments of cultivators, productions such as production centres, pre-cooling units, cold storages and export processing units or export processing zones and more so the ultimate consumers.

References 



Shu-Ting Chang and Philip G. Miles, 2004. Mushrooms - Cultivation, Nutritional Value, Medicinal Effect and Environmental Impact, Second Edition, CRC Press, 451 p. Purkayastha, R. P. and Aindrila Chandra, 1976 . Indian Edible Mushrooms, Firma K.L.M. Calcutta







 

Chandra, Aindrila, 1985. Manual of Indian Edible Mushrooms, Today & Tomorrow’s Printers and Publishers, New Delhi , 267 p. Anna Del Conte, Thomas Laessoe and Susan Campbell, 2008. The Edible Mushroom Book, DK Publishing (dorling Kindersley), 192 p. Mamoni Das, Madurima C. Kalita. Value addi tion of Mushrooms. Sceince Tech Entrepreneur, May 2006. Websitehttp://www.techno-preneur.net/information-desk/sciencetechmagazine/magazine-index.htm. Last accessed on 15.11.08 APEDA Reports. Website: http://www.apeda.com/TradeJunction/ . Last accessed on 15.11.08 Post-Harvest Management of Mushrooms with Special Reference to Himachal Pradesh. (Source:agmarknet.nic.in/phmmushroom_old.pdf)

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Jan 27, 2013 Posted by Samuel Alexander on Jan 27, 2013 | 19 comments

Grow Your Own Oyster Mushrooms on Straw

I’ve been experimenting recently with growing my own oyster mushrooms, and as you can see from the photos, I’ve met with some success. I was motivated to explore mushroom cultivation partly because I’m a vegetarian and want to produce my own high-protein alternatives to meat; but I was also interested in using so-called ‘dead space’ to grow food (either inside or down the shady side of the house). Oyster mushrooms tick both these boxes, and they are also ridiculously tasty.

Not only that, oyster mushrooms are extremely expensive when purchased from a supermarket, so it makes sense to grow them yourself. Currently in Melbourne they are going for $34 per kilo. I’m no mushroom-growing expert, so do your own research, but below I’ve o utlined how I’ve successfully grown my own oyster mushrooms on straw. It’s surprisingly easy, although you do need to take appropriate precautions to

make sure you are growing the right mushrooms and in a hygienically safe way. Apparently white oyster mushrooms are the easiest variety to grow, which is why I started with them.

What you need:

Straw (I used pea-straw successfully but I’m told wheat straw is better) Robust plastic bags, medium or large size (which can be reused) Oyster mushroom spawn (which I got from CERES in Melbourne and are also available here). You may need to find your local supplier. Spray bottle and water

My 10-Step Method: (1) Before you begin, wash your hands and clean all your surfaces well. It’s very important to be hygienic when cultivating mushrooms, as you do not want to grow the wrong types of fungi! Good mushrooms are really good; bad mushrooms are really bad. Fortunately, oysters mushrooms are very distinctive.

(2) Once you’ve got all the materials, the first thing you need to do is pasteurise the straw. From my research online, I discovered that this essentially means heating the straw in water to around 70-75 degrees (Celsius) and holding it at that temperature for around 45-60 minutes. I used a large Fowlers cooking pot. Pasteurisation kills the bad bacteria but leaves the good bacteria. Before you put the straw in the pot, most websites recommend that the straw is cut it up into small pieces around 1 to 3 inches in length. (To be honest, I didn’t cut up my straw, and I still grew mushrooms, but perhaps if I had cut it up my production might have been greater – further experimenting required.) (3) Once you’ve pasteurised the straw, take it out of the heating pot with tongs and let it sit in a clean tub while it cools down. Be careful as you’re dealing with a lot of hot water and th e pot will be heavy. It’s important you don’t put the mushroom spawn into the straw until the straw is at room temperature otherwise you will kill the spawn.

(4) When the straw has cooled down, pack your robust plastic bags with straw quite tightly, and then distribute some of the mushroom spawn throughout the straw. I put about three or four pieces of spawn-covered dowel in each bag, but perhaps one would have been fine (further experimenting required). The straw should not be dripping wet, but it should still be damp from the pasteurisation. (5) At this stage, sterilise a skewer or a nail (by pouring boiling water over it) and jab holes in the bags every 3 inches or so. This let’s some air in, but not too much. (6) You now have to find a home for you mushrooms. Keep them out of direct sunlight. They like some indirect light and I am told they like it best at around 15-20 degrees Celsius. (It’s been considerably warmer than that in Melbourne over the last two months, and mine have grown very well, but again perhaps the yields would have been greater had the temperature been cooler). More experimenting required. I kept my bags inside to minimise the risk of contamination. (7) Now you wait while the mushrooms spawn develops into mycelium and beginning taking over the entire bag. Mycelium looks a bit like white furry cobwebs, and you should start seeing it develop in the first couple of weeks. It’s important that your bags of straw stay moist, but not dripping wet. I found that the water from the pasteurisation was sufficient to keep the straw suitably moist without needing to spray with water. (8) After a number of weeks (depending on the size of your bags) the mycelium should have spread across the entire bag of straw. It is at this stage (which for me was about 5 weeks later) your mushrooms should start forming. I cut some slightly larger holes in the bag, although I’m not sure this was necessary. The mushrooms will decide that they want to grow out of one or more of the holes you’ve created, and they’ll usually  grow in one or two clusters. (9) Now comes the fun part. The mushrooms essentially double in size every day, so within a week or so you should have good-sized oyster mushrooms. Mist them with water two or three times a day over this period – again, not so they are dripping, just so they are moist. The mushrooms should be harvested while their rims are still curled over a little and pointing downwards. If their rims seem to be turning u pward, it’s probably time to harvest. (10) Harvest and eat. To harvest the mushrooms give them a twist at the base. This ensures that you leave the very bottom of the mushroom still in bag. You want to leave that part in the bag as it is needed for the subsequent flushes of mushrooms. If you keep the mushrooms moist and in suitable conditions, you should get three or four flushes of mushrooms, although I’m told the first and second flushes are the most productive. I’m currently harvesting my second flush. When your bags stop producing, the straw can be used as mulch for the garden. (Alternatively, my understanding is that you can distribute some of your straw into new bags of fresh straw and the growing process begins again).

If there are any mushroom experts out there, do let me know if you have any advice, and if any of you decide to begin cultivating your own mushrooms, do let me know how you get on. I’m going to keep experimenting in the hope of developing the easiest and most productive methods. That’s all for now. I’ve got to go cook me some shrooms. See E ntropia: Life Beyond Industrial Ci vilis ation , for one vision of a ‘simple living’ utopia.

No related posts.

19 Responses to “Grow Your Own Oyster Mushrooms on Straw” 1.

Ted says: JANUARY 28, 2013 AT 12:26 PM

Hello friends, I live in Phnom Penh, Cambodoia and I just happened to visit my friends mushroom “farm” last month (although they are extremely poor people and are growing on land that they do not own and they are growing on a small scale.

Here is what they do: first they burn the grass in whatever patch they want to grow mushrooms to prepare the ground. Then they plant the mushrooms (I didn’t watch that phase). Then they stack handfuls of hay or straw to provide shade for their mushrooms in a tent fashion with the straw being about 2 feet long or 1 meter (think of stacking wood for a teepee style fire. They water the mushrooms as needed to have the right amount of moisture. They are growing mushrooms in an open field without any natural shade and have been doing it for several decades. The soil isn’t anything special either. They sell there mushrooms at the market.

2.

 Alex says: JUNE 4, 2013 AT 4:48 PM

Just attended a seminar on growing oyster mushrooms. Pretty much agreed with what you’re doing. Recommended barley straw as the best. Isn’t the easiest to find though.

3.

Pat says: JULY 6, 2013 AT 6:40 AM

Thank you for this interesting post. It makes me want to grow them. I am curious about your statement that pasteurising does not kill good bacteria. We are looking at eating raw and/or fermented foods which must be unpasteurized, right? I thought I was getting probiotics from sauerkraut only to read that it is pasteur ised and dead. Most of the research I see says that pasteurisation does kill beneficial bacteria. I’d love to find out that it doesn’t. Thanks for your help.

4.

rhys dean says: JULY 21, 2013 AT 4:24 AM

found this very helpfull to start myself i also travelled to ceres to get the grow kit. And was shattered to find that when i was doing shopping at the footscray market i found 3 species of fresh oyster mushroom along with a few other fresh mushrooms i had never seen before all under $5 for at least 150 grams more than enough to start a mycelium run so if ur looking for the cheapest freshest mushrooms its a little european supermarket in the main market across the road from footscray station i saw white,king,pearl oyster,shimeji and a couple others i cant remember the name of. Exciting and dissapointing as i spent $23 and a couple hrs transport to ceres when i could of whent 15 min down the road and spent $2.50. Thank u for posting these instructions found them the most straight forward in my research and recently started myself waiting for the mycelium to take over i got about 6 different containers due to impatience.

5.

Ratha Kong says: AUGUST 10, 2013 AT 5:47 PM

Hi Samuel, I am Ratha, from Cambodia. I am growing oyster mushroom,I have 20000 – 25000bags of oyster mushroom in a mushroom shelter I made in my own land. I do it the same process as you do, but I use haystack or debris of rubber plant. Thank you Samuel for having posted what you have learned from your oyster mushroom growing. It is a nice recording and useful for learning. Cheers, Ratha

6.

Lungten Jaamtsho says:

AUGUST 21, 2013 AT 5:34 PM

Thank you for the resource full post.I have tried two times with different straw. firstly with the rice straw, and in the second I cultivated in the lemon grass, in which the production was deteriorated by many fold. Thank you for your share. Lungten Jamtsho Country : Bhutan

7.

Mboozi Savoy says: AUGUST 23, 2013 AT 5:21 PM

I have been growing oyster mushrooms in Zambia for three years for home consumption.for any enquiry my mobile number is +260 0965342004. If any club wants to be helped practically they can write to me : Mboozi Savoy,Chikankata High School p/bag s-2.Mazabuka Zambia 8.

Mushroom seed says: OCTOBER 18, 2013 AT 10:34 PM

[…] Visit Grow Your Own Oyster Mushrooms on Straw | The Simplicity Collective Company Name: MASI PRODUCTS Exporter and supplier of Oyster Mushroom Address NO 60, METTU STREET, […]

9.

Ellen says: FEBRUARY 1, 2014 AT 4:12 PM

I bought my first bag today and have been doing some research, hence I’m going to try adding coffee grounds along the way to see if it is possible to keep them growing for a longer period of time.

10.

 Ayele says: FEBRUARY 11, 2014 AT 7:11 PM

It is interesting I have decided to start growing because of your advice. Thank you!

11.

maury sheets says: MARCH 10, 2014 AT 12:44 PM

No bacteria will survive a correct pasteurization procedure.

12.

Jose Zacharia says: APRIL 4, 2014 AT 6:53 PM

Thanks for this informative article. In India people grow milky mushrooms (another variety) using coco peat (compressed coconut fiber) as the substrate.Can anyone clarify wheather cocopeat is a good substrate for oyster mushrooms also?

13.

 Verotte says: MAY 18, 2014 AT 7:33 PM

Hi, regarding step 10, re-using the spent straw which has finished producing mushroom, can this be re-used in conjunction with new straw alone or does it need some new spawn? If so, what would be the use of adding the old straw to the new straw apart from providing more straw? Thanks in advance. Love this article.

14.

Ben says: JUNE 1, 2014 AT 4:07 AM

Great article. I also use the bagged technique,and experiment with different growing media. You mentioned pasteurization kills bad bacteria and leaves good bacteria… That’s not necessarily true. Pasteurization is meant to kill  ALL bacteria, good or bad, for a ‘sterile’ media. Mushroom media is not like soil where you want a healthy amount of beneficial bacteria. You are basically clearing the slate for Oyster mycellium to out compete anything else, and avoid

contaminants. Still an excellent article.

15.

themby says: OCTOBER 20, 2014 AT 1:43 AM

hie there.I am from Zimbabwe. I started on my first exciting journey of oyster shrooms production in september, after perforating my bags to allow for pinning a few weeks later, they started to have orange, green, red and black moulds. I had followed exactly the same procedure as yours. For sterilisation, i used a detergent with sodium hypochlorite. Of the 36 bags i had, i was only left with 14. They are only a few that are fruiting well, the others produce shrivelled fruit with brown edges. If you may have some advice please do share. Thank you for the article by the way.

16.

Peter says: FEBRUARY 28, 2015 AT 7:24 AM

Great job on the grow! I’m growing blue oyster mushrooms  right now.

Tony says:

17.

APRIL 3, 2015 AT 2:21 AM

Pasteurization does not kill the thermophile bacteria. The trick is to ensure the temperature of the water never exceeds 160 degrees. Sterilization at high pressure, on the other hand, kills everything. The previous poster that said “no bacteria can survive proper pasteurization” is incorrect and confused. Look up thermophiles, and also look up the definition of pasteurization and sterilization. Mushroom grain spawn is typically prepared with sterilization and injecting spores into the grain jar under sterile conditions, while the substrate is pasteurized and the grain spawn is mixed in. The idea is that healthy mycelium can take over the substrate quickly when it is pasteurized because it doesn’t have to fight with other molds and bacteria for resources. The thermophiles help keep the nasty bacteria and molds at bay long enough for the mycellium to fully colonize and then be strong enough to fight its own battles. The green trichoderma is a common enemy for mushroom growing, and will quickly overtake unpasteurized substrate. Oysters can be strong enough to overtake trichoderma at times but it can quickly become a losing battle. The reason we don’t sterilize the substrate is because it would require sterile growing conditions that are ha rd to maintain when mixing grain spawn with substrate, and contaminants will not have any thermophile bacteria to fight so they will be able to take over more quickly than the mycellium.

George Simikowski says:

18.

APRIL 21, 2016 AT 12:38 AM

Good day. I’m attempting my f irst oyster grow and need some help. Four bags have been incubating for 4 weeks – nice mycelium growth thruout the bags. Temp in bags range from 72 to 80F with nice moisture inside but I’m using space heater to heat the room. I have no aggragations around the holes in bag. Do I need to get room humidity up. Can I force fruit by dropping temp, high humidity, increase air flow and add light.  Any advice is appreciated. Geo.

IT2AGRI says:

19.

APRIL 27, 2016 AT 3:26 AM

Great write-up: Trying out my first batch, Question about STEP 6, “They like some indirect light and I am told they like it best at around 15-20 degrees Celsius” But some say it should be complete dark during this stage. Which one should I follow? any recommendations? Thanks

20.

Psuedonym says: JUNE 17, 2016 AT 6:21 PM

Growing oyster mushrooms has been very rewarding and exciting especially when some bundles of substrate and mycelium stashed away and forgotten had fruited pushing containers like yogurt lids right off. ( my family on the other hand have gotten kind of creeped out by these strange happenings ) hahaha I LOVE creating batches of spawn in used ziplock bags. I suck most of the air out and seal it good. I like “take out” tubs when trying something new so I can see through them but yogurt and smaller are good too, like KFC mashed potato and coleslaw containers. I even use the chicken tub, and ice cream tubs, 7/11 domed Slurpee cups have been great too. Aseptic drink boxes like rice milk can be cleaned and used immediately. They can be folded back closed. Blocking light But almost anything that didn’t have a cover like those black microwave trays frozen entree come in, or glass jars I cover with plastic wrap. Keep dark in old shipping boxes or I save chip bags , aluminum foil, dark fabrics that little or no light pass through, then placed on the top shelf near the ceiling because heat rises.

Can you tell yet I like to repurpose things? Some of the materials I found work well are small twigs to 1 inch diameter pieces of oak, birch, rose. ( I figure anything that isn’t known like pine/conifer to be ??antimicrobial?? it should be tried !!! Cardboard usually the center corrugated portion of pizza boxes ( it absorbs water best and mycelium can grow through it fast ). I’ve gone collecting seed heads from we eds, and now that the summer has dried them to straw I try to catch people weed wacking for the largest quantities. Oh and the local elementary school serves lunch on some kind of paper mâché trays. Stacked and punch holes in them hammering with nails or stabbing through will let mycelium pass much faster through. I don’t like coffee grinds much but in quantities almost like dusting directly on healthy fluffy mycelium. And like it only because it is great for crumbling as spawn into fresh substrate.

Something I thought I would describe is that point where the mycelium is ready to fruit. Since not everybody would be starting from colonized kit or seed, only knowing what fluffy mycelium looks like you can tell when it is gotten denser. Parts can still be fluffy but if enough of an area starts to dry somewhat it get these little pimple like bumps and then a tiny little cluster/s like cauliflower bits. Image searches are fun. Ph levels , I haven’t played with those yet but I am wondering since I do have a cheap d igital soil (probe) meter if the Ph is different after some little fungus/soil gnat larvae have pooped on some of the cardboard which they’ve eaten the mycelium and it DOESNT seem to want to grow back over the cardboard.

Misc info, I cut a hole in the lid of some cold cut meat container and then hot glue’d part of a face mask from the hospital but that dried out the mycelium to fast and I put some Saran Wrap under the lid to block any air flow. These are some of the more unusual containers I tried fruiting in. *Keuerig coffee pod *Frozen juice concentrate can. With an exacto blade, scratched the inside plastic so it could work through to the cardboard *plastic gum dispenser *orange plastic medicine bottles *slurpee and Starbucks cups *wide bubble tea straws ( haven’t tried the tapioca pearls as substrate though )

I better quit writing, falling asleep

How to Grow Mushrooms Indoors Two Parts:Basic Growing MethodAlternative Growing Methods Community Q&A

Growing mushrooms at home is a task that any gardener interested in growing their own food should attempt. Mushrooms are a healthy addition to any diet, as they are low in calories and fat, high in fiber, and contain high amounts of potassium.[1] In addition, they are very easy to grow at home. Mushrooms are best grown indoors where the temperature and light conditions can be more readily managed. Learning how to grow mushrooms indoors is a matter of managing their growing conditions carefully. Part

Basic Growing Method

1.

1

1

Decide what type of mushroom you want to grow.  The 3 types of mushrooms that

are easiest to grow at home are oyster, white button, and Shiitake. The method for growing each mushroom is similar, but the ideal growing medium differs. 

Oyster mushrooms grow best in straw; Shiitakes grow best on hardwood sawdust; button mushrooms grow best in composted manure. These different growing media reflect the different nutritional needs of each species. However, each of these 3 species can be grown readily enough in sawdust or straw.



Choosing a type of mushroom to grow is a matter of taste. You should grow the type you most want to eat.

2.

2

Purchase mushroom spawn.  Mushroom spawn is sawdust permeated with mushroom

mycelia - essentially the root structure of the fungus. It is used much like plant seedlings to facilitate growth. 

You can purchase high-quality mushroom spawn from several online retailers, some gardening supply stores, or some specialty organic living stores.



Make sure to buy spawn rather than spores. Some retailers will also sell spores, which are more akin to the seeds of plants (rather than seedlings). Growing mushrooms from spores takes more time and practice, and is best suited for a seasoned mushroom grower.

3.

3

Sterilize the growing medium.  If you are growing mushrooms in straw or sawdust, it

will necessary to sterilize these growing mediums before inoculating with the spawn. This is done to kill off any micro-organisms that could compete with the mycelia. 

To sterilize the growing medium, place it in a microwave safe bowl and add enough water to make the straw or sawdust damp. Place the bowl in the microwave and heat on high for two minutes, or until the water has boiled off.



This kills off any microorganisms, leaving the growing medium safe to receive the mushroom mycelia. You may need to work in batches in order to sterilize all of the straw or sawdust.

4.

4

Heat the growing medium so that the mycelia will spread.  The mycelia in your

mushroom spawn need to spread into the growing medium thoroughly before producing mushrooms. A warm temperature encourages this growth. 

After choosing the growing medium suited for your mushroom species, place a few handfuls of it into a baking pan. A shallow pan with a large surface area will provide the most room for your mushrooms to grow.



Mix the spawn into the growing medium with your fingers. Place the baking pan on a heating pad set to 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius). This is the ideal temperature to encourage growth.



Leave the setup in a dark environment, such as a cabinet, for about 3 weeks. This will allow the mushroom mycelia to permeate the growing medium.[2]

5.

5 Place the growing medium into the proper environment.  After 3 weeks, you need to

place the pan into an environment that is dark and cool (about 55 degrees Fahrenheit / 13 degrees Celsius). A basement usually works well for this, but a cabinet or drawer in an unheated room will work in winter. 

Cover the growing medium with a handful of potting soil and spray the entire mixture with enough water to dampen it thoroughly. You can place a damp towel over the pan to prevent moisture loss if desired.



The mix should be kept moist and cool as the mushrooms grow. Check it periodically and spray it with water as necessary.

6.

6 Harvest your mushrooms when they are fully grown.  In about 3 weeks, you should

see small mushrooms appearing. Continue to keep their environment moist, cool, and dark to encourage their growth. 

When the mushroom caps separate fully from their stems, they are ready to harvest. You can pluck the mushrooms out with your fingers, but this risks damaging the newly developing fungi beneath the surface. Instead, use a sharp knife to cut the mushrooms at the base of the stem.



It is best to rinse the mushrooms before cooking or eating. You can store harvested mushrooms in a paper bag in the refrigerator for up to a week. Part

Alternative Growing Methods

2

1.

1 Grow mushrooms from a kit.  For first-time growers, growing mushrooms from a

ready-made kit can be a fun, easy option for producing your own mushrooms. These kits usually consist of plastic bags filled with sterilized, inoculated straw or soil. All you need to do keep the bag in the correct conditions and in seven to ten days you'll have homegrown mushrooms. 

Kits will usually cost between $20 and $30 and can be used to grow most of the common mushroom varieties such as white button, crimini, portobello, lion's mane, shiitake, and oyster mushrooms.



To begin the growing process, simply open the bag and place it in a bright location, out of direct sunlight — such as a shade windowsill. The kit can be kept at room

temperature, but it will need to be misted with water daily to keep humidity high. Some kits will provide plastic tents to cover the bag and maintain humidity levels. 

The mushrooms will start to sprout after seven to ten days, but you can expect to see two or three flushes of growth over a three month period.



The great thing about these kits is that after they have finished producing mushrooms, you can bury them outdoors under bark mulch or in your compost pile. Then, depending on weather conditions, mushrooms may start to pop up in that spot.[3]

2.

2 Grow mushrooms from coffee grinds.  Growing mushrooms from coffee grounds is a

fun project which helps to use up coffee grounds that would otherwise go to waste. Coffee grounds are a fantastic growing medium for mushrooms (oyster mushrooms in

particular) as they are already sterilized thanks to the coffee brewing process and are full of nutrients. 

For 500 g (17.6 oz) of mushroom spawn, you will need 2.5 kg (88 oz) of fresh coffee grounds. The best way to get this amount of fresh coffee grounds (brewed that day) is to go to a cafe and ask nicely. They're usually more than happy to give it away.



Next you'll need a container for growing your mushrooms — the best thing to use is a filter patch grow bag, which can usually be purchased along with the mushroom spawn. If not, you can use a large, sealable freezer bag or a well-cleaned milk carton or ice cream tub, with 4 small holes poked into the sides.



Wash your hands thoroughly with anti-bacterial soap, then mix the mushroom spawn into the coffee grounds, breaking them up with your hands to ensure that they are evenly distributed. Place the inoculated coffee grinds into the plastic bag or container and seal tightly.



Place the bag or container in a warm, dark location, somewhere between 64 and 77 degrees F (18 to 25 degrees C), like in an airing cupboard or under the sink. Leave it here for approximately three weeks, until it turns entirely white -- this due to the mycelia colonizing the coffee grinds.



Once the bag or container's contents have turned completely white, move it to a bright but shaded area and cut a 2" by 2" hole at the top. Mist the contents of the container with water twice daily to prevent it from drying out — the mushrooms won't grow in toodry conditions.



Over the next five to seven days, tiny mushrooms will begin to sprout. Continue to mist them with water and they should double in size each day. When the cups of the mushrooms have started to turn slightly upwards, they are ready to harvest. [4]



When the mushrooms have stopped sprouting, plant the coffee grinds outdoors under bark mulch or compost and new mushrooms may develop, depending on the weather.

3.

3 Grow mushrooms on a log.  Another interesting way to grow certain species of

mushrooms — such as Reishi, Maitake, Lion's Mane, Shiitake, Pearl and Phoenix Oyster — is from a log. This is done by inoculating hardwood logs with birch plugs that have been fully colonized by mushroom mycelium. These plugs are available online and from specialist mushroom spore suppliers. 

The first thing you need to do is find an appropriate log for mushroom growing. The logs should be cut from non-aromatic hardwood trees, such as maple, poplar, oak and elm. They should be 3 or 4 feet (0.9 or 1.2 m) in length and no more than 14" in diameter. The logs should be cut at least two weeks before plugging, to allow the tree's naturallyformed anti-fungal properties to degrade.



To colonize a 3 to 4 foot (0.9 to 1.2 m) log, you will need approximately 50 plugs. To insert the plugs, use a 5/16" drill bit to make 2" deep holes in a diamond pattern over the entire log. The holes should be spaced about 4" apart. Place the birch plugs into the holes and tap with a hammer to insert fully.



If you plan on leaving the logs outdoors you may need to seal the holes with cheese wax or beeswax to protect the plugs from insects and harsh weather. If you plan on keeping the log indoors, in a garage or basement, this usually isn't necessary.



Over time, the mushroom mycelium will spread from the birch plugs throughout the log, until the entire piece of wood has been colonized. Once fully colonized, mushrooms will begin to sprout from cracks in the log. This typically takes between 9 to 12 months, but depending on temperature and humidity conditions, the mushrooms should return year after year.[5]

Community Q&A Help a fellow gardener! Share your knowledge by answering questions.

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Unanswered Questions 

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Tips 

For more information on growing mushrooms, indoors and outdoors, see this article.

Things You'll Need 

Mushroom spawn 

Sawdust, straw, or manure 

Baking pan 

Heating pad 

Potting soil 

Spray bottle 

Water 

Towel

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Sources and Citations 1. ↑ http://www.vegetarian-nutrition.info/updates/mighty-mushrooms.php 2. ↑ http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/mushrooms/growmushrooms.htm 3. ↑ http://www.garden.org/ediblelandscaping/?page=december_shroom 4. Low Cost / Low Tech Methods to Grow Mushrooms

7. Search any text field, scientific or common names 8. 9. Mushroom growing is both a science and an art form, and many people have developed their own unique methods for growing mushrooms. Some of these methods are good, some are labor intensive, other methods yield high volume or special quality fruitbodies. Over the many years we have been working and consulting in this field we have seen many methods, everything from inground growing in Mexico and Africa, to the highest tech autoclave based method used by the multinational agribusiness giants. Most of the books published today start out with the assumption that you have plenty of money to go out and buy the most expensive of boilers and baggers and autoclaves. In our experience this is not usually the case, especially when you are just starting out. So we would like to offer the benefit of our experience here, and show you some low tech methods that work well and can be accomplished for a low cost. 10. 11. The goal of any mushroom farmer should be: The Production of High Volume of Mushrooms at a Low Cost , in a reasonable amount of time without too much waste,

contamination or expense in new equipment. Further goals should be to have a system simple

enough that you can easily train common farm laborers to perform every step of the process. Since most agricultural workers are not college educated microbiologists, it is more practical to simplify the system as much as possible so anyone can be trained to do the work, rather than depending on the availability of trained personnel that already know all the concepts involved. 12. 13. Let’s define the goals a bit further. 14. 15. High Yield: Every common strain of mushroom can be grown at 100% Biological efficiency or more, and in fact has to be if the project is to be successful. Often in Oyster cultivation 200% BE can be accomplished. Even with Shiitake, Lions Mane, or Maitake, 100% BE is quite possible to achieve with even minimal attention to your process. So what is this BE and how is it measured? 16. 17. Biological Efficiency, abbreviated BE, is the most important and the most basic of all measurements in mushroom cultivation. BE is the comparison of the dry weight substrate to the fresh harvested mushrooms. In other words, we all buy our substrate in t he dry form, like sawdust as an example. If you buy 1000 pounds of dry weight sawdust, and you are able to harvest 1000 pounds of fresh mushrooms, that is a 100% BE. If you start with 1000 pounds dry straw, and harvest 1500 pounds of fresh Oyster Mushrooms, that is a BE of 150%. Keep it always in mind that 100% BE is the minimum acceptable yield of mushrooms for your farm to be commercially successful. How can we start with 1000 pounds substrate and end up with 1500 pounds of mushrooms? Keep in mind, mushrooms are mostly water, and this is being added to the substrate. So what you harvest is anywhere f rom 50% to 90% water. Make sure you measure the weight of your bags, and measure the weight of your harvested mushrooms, because without the BE figures for your process, it is impossible to optimize your production and accurately predict the yield ahead of time. 18. 19. Examples of changes in BE would be the comparisons of two different strains of Oyster mushrooms: They are both Pleurotus ostreatus, but maybe one came from a high altitude, and one came from a tropical forest. These are definitely going to perform differently on your farm, and they will absolutely and without question have a different BE when you grow them side by side. So how do you know which is the best strain for your operation? There is only one way to know – and that is to run trials and see which one performs better. A strain that works GREAT for another grower might work terribly for you. You have different climate, different sterilization methods, different substrate, different spawn, and most importantly you have different competitor organisms on your farm. These things cannot be factored in ahead of time, only trials on your farm will give you realistic BE figures. However, ALL commonly cultivated mushrooms will give you AT LEAST 100% BE, so if you are not getting that from your operation, then something is wrong. 20. 21. The question comes up ”What mushroom should I grow?”  Most people who get into this trade want to start off growing Shiitake. Just like most kids learning to drive want a new Ferrari.

Maybe it is more practical for them to learn to drive on the old family Ford, and move up to the race car as their skill level (and income!) increases. The same holds true of mushroom growing. It is a lot easier (and cheaper!) to start out growing Oyster mushrooms, then graduate to other species as both your skill level and available equipment grows. So the remainder of this discussion will focus on Oyster mushrooms for the most part, although the general concepts hold true for other species as well. 22. 23. Based on the teachings of some of the common books available today, many people start growing mushrooms by soaking straw in hot water for a pasteurization step. This system works, although it is our least favorite of all the pasteurization methods for many reasons, all going back to the basic goals of “The Production of High Volume of Mushrooms at a Low Cost”. The hot water

method is difficult, costly and all too often does not produce 100%+ BE. We prefer the cold pasteurization methods because we are lazy, cheap, and do not like wrestling large bundles of hot wet straw. And oh yeah, did I mention it always yields a higher BE? 24. 25. Cold Pasteurization Methods: 26. 27. It is necessary to pasteurize or sterilize your substrate prior to inoculating it with spawn. The decision of pasteurizing verses sterilizing depends on both your substrate and your species grown. In general, if you have a low nutrient value substrate like paper, cardboard, or straw, then pasteurization is sufficient and far cheaper than true sterilization. Sawdust varies in nutrie nt value, and can sometimes work well with a simple pasteurization step, and sometimes needs to be sterilized. For those that say Shiitake cannot be grown on pasteurized straw, I encourage you to look at this short Write-Up from a grower in San Diego who grows Shiitake quite successfully on straw. Since Straw works the best for Oyster Mushrooms, I will describe the process on straw: 28. 29. To do a cold pasteurization step, you will need to soak your straw in a solution that will hydrate the straw and kill off the majority of single celled organism s present. There are a number of things you can use for this, but by far the best is hydrated lime. The exact concentration is not critical,  just a big double handful in a 55 gallon drum of water. Then submerge your straw, weight it down so it does not float, and wait 12 to 24 hrs. No longer, as you do not want to develop a bunch of lime resistant organisms, between 16 and 18 hrs is perfect. After soaking, drain the excess water, bag the straw and inoculate it with your spawn. Works great, the typical BE is 150% to 175%, and the quality of the fruit bodies are better than with the hot water method. 30. 31. Here are the tips on what lime to use: 32. 33. Lime Types and Usage in Mushroom Farming 34. 35. The term "Lime" is widely used in English, and the same term often refers to different materials. So an explanation of different types of lime and their usage is in order:

36. 37. 1) Calcium Carbonate lime - this is limestone, marble, chalk, eggshell, coral or oyster shell. This material is used as a pH buffer in substrate and media. This type of lime does not cause a major change in pH, but acts as a buffer, that is it holds the pH steady as the mushrooms grow. This is the preferred amendment for substrate to ensure the substrate does not go too acid during the growth cycle. THIS TYPE LIME WILL NOT WORK FOR PASTURIZING! 38. 39. 2) Calcium Hydroxide or Hydrated Lime, also known as Quicklime. This is used for pH increase and is used primarily for pasteurizing or sterilizing substrate. Many mushrooms do not grow well if this type of lime is added to the substrate, and is therefore NOT used for amending the substrate, it is used only for pasteurization, through the mechanism of rapid pH change. Adding about 3 pounds of hydrated lime (a big double handful) to a barrel of water will yield a high pH, around pH 12-13, which is sufficient to pasteurize straw in about 4-6 hrs. 40. 41. Hydrated Lime is made by burning limestone (calcium carbonate) which converts it to Calcium Hydroxide. The starting material can be any of the calcium carbonate sources, or the raw material source can by Dolomite Lime, which has a high magnesium content. When Hydrated Lime is made from Dolomite, it is often called "Builders Lime" and is used in the concrete industry. High Magnesium Lime or Builders Lime WILL NOT WORK for growing mushrooms. When you purchase Hydrated Lime for pasteurization of your substrate, make sure it is the High Calcium Lime (90% or more calcium - usually about 95-96% calcium). If the bag says high magnesium, or states a percentage of magnesium anything over 10%, do not use it. The high magnesium will stunt the mushroom growth. 42. 43. A correct type of lime for pasteurizing straw 44.

45. 46. 47. There is another material often called Agricultural Lime, Dolomite Lime or just Dolomite. This has high Magnesium and WILL NOT WORK for growing mushrooms. 48.

49. Gypsum is not lime, it is Calcium Sulfate, and is used for other purposes. It does not change pH significantly or act as a buffer. It is used to modify the physical properties of the substrate. It also adds some metabolic sulfur to the substrate. 50. 51. Soap is also a good pasteurizing agent. What kind of soap? Almost any will work, we like the cheapest dish detergent on sale at the store, or a washing powder like Tide, or pretty much any soap. Make up a good strong soap solution, soak 12 to 24 hrs, and drain the excess water and inoculate. The Oyster Mushrooms use the straw and the soap both as a food source, and there is no residue soap left in the mushrooms, it is all bio-converted into mushroom tissue. 52. 53. Another good pasteurizing agent is wood ashes. Works just the same as lime or soap, and the BE’s are a bit higher than either. For a PDF presentation on the ash pasteuri zation method, Click Here [PDF]

54. 55. I hope this little write up helps understand some of your options. Take a look at these photos of an Oyster farm below that we consulted for. This farm uses only lime pasteurization, they consistently have 150% BE, They have zero contamination, and have a production capacity of 5000 lbs a month. All this with no heat at all – just a lime soak. Cheap and Effective and Profitable  – fulfilling all the goals set out above.

56. 57. For more info on this subject, read the paper at http://www.alohaecowas.com/diversifiedagriculture-part1.html 58. 59. We are pleased to offer consultation service to help you get your farm started or back on track, either by telephone or on site. If you are interested in this service, please call John at (775) 8866300 or email [email protected]. 60. 61. Lime Pasteurized Straw Farm: 62. Look at the Elmalini miniature oyster strain developed through a unique method, a very marketable mushroom! This is the Elm A strain of Pleurotus ulmarius. 63. 64.

65. 66. For more information and to contact this farm, see http://simplymanna.com 67. 68. For all of you formulators - Aloha Medicinals also offers bulk powder ingredients for use in your formulations, which are 100% USDA and EU Certified Organic. Call our customer service representative at (775) 886-6300 for more information and to place your order today!

69. 70. 71. 2.1K

72. Bookmark this page into your favorite bookmark manager. Or press (CTRL-D)

73. 74. NOTE: Regardless of how our products may be used in other countries, or anything that you may have heard or read about Aloha Medicinals products, under FDA law in the United States it is illegal for a manufacturer to make any medical claims for health supplements. None of the products offered for sale on our website or direct to retail consumers are intended to be used in the treatment or mitigation of any disease state. All statements made by Aloha Medicinals Inc. are intended for informational purposes only. T he statements made here have not been evaluated by the FDA, and our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Health decisions are much too important to be made without the advice of a health care practitioner. As with any dietary or herbal supplement, you should advise your health care practitioner of the use of this product. If you are nursing,

pregnant, or considering pregnancy, you should consult your health care practitioner prior to using any health supplement product.

GUIDELINES FOR FORMULATION OF PROJECT PROPOSAL FOR MUSHROOM FARMING Introduction � Mushrooms have been valued throughout the world as both food and medicine for thousands of years.�  They are a rich source of nutrition and form a major chunk of health foods. Fats occur in mushrooms in minor amounts, especially compared with protein and carbohydrates, and the fatty fraction consists predominantly of unsaturated fatty acids such as linoleic acid, they may be the perfect food for maintaining a healthy heart and cardiovascular system. Earlier Mushroom eating was restricted to specific regions and areas of the world but due to globalization, interaction between different cultures, growing consumerism has ensured the accessibility of Mushrooms in all areas. Mushrooms are increasingly gaining acceptance in different Cusines and in everday consumption. They have created a space in a common man�s kitchen. Also, current trend of consumption conveys the opportunity that lies in the area of mushroom exports. mushroom in India are white Button mushroom and Oyster Oyster mushroom. � The two most commonly grown species of mushroom Most of the production of white button mushroom in our country is seasonal. The cultivation is done using conventional methods. Usually, unpasteurized compost is used, hence yields are very low. However, in recent years, yield of mushroom has increased as a result of introduction of improved agronomic practices. Cultivation of the common white button mushroom requires technical skill. Apart from other factors, the system requires humidity, two different temperatures i.e. Temperature for spawn or v egetative growth (Spawn Run): 22-28 0C, for reproductive Phase (fruit body formation): 15-18 0, Humidity: 85-95% and enough ventilation during substrates that are sterilized are easily contaminated unless spawned under very aseptic conditions. Therefore steaming at 1000 C (pasteurization) is more acceptable. �  Pleurotus is the scientific name for Oyster mushroom. In many parts of India, it is known as Dhingri. This mushroom includes many species e.g. Pleurotus ostreatus, P. sajor-caju, P. florida, P. sapidus, P. flabellatus, P. eryngii and many other edible species. Mushroom growing is an occupation requiring perseverance, patience, intelligent observation and a skill that can be developed only through intelligent experience. � Pleurotus mushroom requires a temperature of 20oC to 30oC, both for its vegetative growth (spawn run) and reproductive phase, i.e. for formation of fruit bodies. The suitable cultivation period at high altitude - 1100-1500 meters above mean sea level � is March to October, mid altitude - 600-1100 meters above mean sea level � is February to May & September to November and at Low altitude - Below 600 meters above mean sea level � is October to March. Materials Required 1. Paddy Straw � Fresh golden yellow paddy straw free from moulds and properly stored in a dry place not exposed to rain. 2. Plastic Sheet of 400 gauge thickness � 1 sq. m. of plastic sheet is required for making one block. 3. Wooden Mould � Wooden Mould of 45X30X15 cms size each having no top or bottom but having a separate wooden cover 44X29 cms dimension. 4. Hand Chopper or Chopper or Chaff cutter for cutting the straw. 5. Drum for boiling straw (minimum straw (minimum two). 6. Jute 6. Jute rope, coconut rope or plastic ropes 7. Gunny 7. Gunny bags. 8. Spawn or mushroom culture� which can be obtained from the Office of the Assistant Pathologist, Mushroom Development Center for each block. 9. One 9. One sprayer. 10. Straw Storage Shed -10X8m size. Process: Compost Preparation Preparation �Agricultural by products like cereal straw (wheat, barley, paddy, oat and rice), maize stalks, hay, sugarcane bagasse or any other cellulose wastes can be used for compost preparation. Wheat straw should be freshly harvested, shining yellow in colour and should not have been exposed to rains. The straw should be in about 5-8cm long pieces, otherwise heap prepared by long straw would be less compact which may lead to improper fermentation. Conversely; too short straw makes heap too compact to allow enough oxygen to enter the centre of the heap and lead to anaerobic fermentation. Wheat straw or any of the above materials provide

cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, which are utilized by the mushroom mycelium as the carbon source. These materials also provide physical structure to the substrate needed to ensure proper aeration during composting for the build up of microflora, which is essential for the fermentation. Rice and barley straw are very soft, degrade very quickly during composting and also absorb more water as compared to wheat straw. While using these substrates, care should, therefore, be taken on the quantity of water to be used, schedule of turnings and adjustment to the rate and type of supplements. Since the byproducts used in composting do not have adequate nitrogen and other components required for the fermentation process, compounding mixture is supplemented with the nitrogen and carbohydrates, to start this process. Spawning �Spawning is mixing of spawn infor optimum and timely yields. Optimum dose for spawn ranges between 0.5 and 0.75% of fresh weight of compost. Lower rates result in slow spread of mycelium and chances for diseases and competitors may increase. Higher rates may increase cost of spawning and very high rate of spawn sometimes results in unusual heating of compost.  A. bisporus is bisporus is 23 0 (+) (�) 20 C . Relative humidity in growing room should �The optimum temperature for growth of  A. range from 85-90% during spawn-run. Harvesting �Usually 3 to 4 days after opening the bags, mushroom primordia begin to form. Mature mushrooms become ready for harvesting in another 2 to 3 days. An average biological efficiency (fresh weight of mushrooms harvested divided by air-dry substrate weight x 100) can range between 80 to 150% and sometimes even more. To harvest the mushrooms, they are grasped by the stalk and gently twisted and pulled. A knife should not be used. The mushrooms remain fresh for up to 3 to 6 days in a refrigerator/cool place. Mushroom house / rooms. Cube preparing Room �An ideal room should have an R.C.C. floor, well ventilated and dried. An R.C.C. platform of 2 cms. height should be constructed inside the room for placing the wooden frame, for making cube and another R.C.C. platform, according to necessity for draining of pasteurized bags of straw. Only those materials needed for cube making are to be kept inside the room. Care should be taken to allow inside the room, only persons preparing the cubes.

Incubation Room �A room for spawn running.   This room can be either an R.C.C. building or an Assam type room (i.e., any separate room in the house) and should be installed with shelves made of clean whole bamboo in three tiers for keeping the block. The first tier should be 100cms above the ground and the other tiers should be at le ast 60cms apart. Cropping Room �An ideal house/room would be an R.C.C. building installed with proper insulation and provisions for heating and cooling the rooms. However, an indigenous low cost house has been recommended using locally available materials like bamboo, thatch and mud plaster. Walls of split bamboo plastered evenly with a mixture of mud and cow dung may be made. �In order to provide a crude insulation system, a second wall is made all around the house keeping about 15cms space between the first wall and the second. Mud plastering should be done on the outside of the outside wall. The air space in between the two walls will act as an insulator, since air is a bad conductor of heat. An even better insulation could be provided if the space between the walls is filled with well dried thatch. The floor of the house should preferably be of cement but where it is not possible, a well-beaten and plastered mud floor will suffice. However, more care will have to be taken in case of a mud fl oor. The roof should be made of thick thatch layers or preferably asbestos sheets. A false ceiling is essential to avoid contamination of unwanted materials from the thatch roof. Besides the front door, ventilators should also be provided from both the upper and lower sides of the front and the rear side of the room for proper exchange of air inside the room. The house/room should be installed  /framed with horizontal and vertical bamboo bamboo poles required for hanging the block after the incubation period. The vertical poles can also be arranged in a 3 (three)-tier system as the incubation shelves. Poles should be preferably 60cms away from the walls and in between each row of three tiers, a minimum space of 1m should be maintained. A cropping room of 3.0 X 2.5 X 2.0 m will accommodate about 35 to 40 cubes. Method �Chop the straw either manually or mechanically into bits of 3 -5cms in length and pack in gunny bags. Boil water in a drum. When the water start boiling, place the gunny bag along with the straw in the boiling water and boil as such for 15 to 20 minutes. Then remove the gunny bag from the drum and leave as such for 8 to 10 hrs. to dr ain the excess waters and also allow the straw to cool. Care should be taken that the bag is not open till the time of block making, as this will contaminate the boiled straw. The desirable moisture content of the straw can be tested by squeezing the straw in between the palms, and see that droplets of water do not trickle out from the straw.

�Another method of pasteurization   of the straw is by steaming. This method requires little modification of the drum. (Punch a small hole in the lid of the drum, and while boiling the straw, seal the surrounding of the lid with a rubber tube). The chopped straw should be previously wetted and excess water drained off. Place a few stones in the drum and pour water only at the level of the stones. Boiled the wetted straw by keeping it in a bamboo basket and place the basket over the stones inside the drum. Close the lid of the drum and seal the rim o f the lid by means of a rubber tube. The steam generated from the boiled water will pass through the straw and pasteurize it. After boiling, transfer the straw into a previously sterilized gunny bag and leave it as such for 8 -10 hrs. for cooling. Take a wooden frame and place on a smooth floor. Place jute ropes, two vertically and one horizontally. Line the frame with a plastic sheet, previously sterilized by dipping in boiled water. -

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Fill approximately 5cms of boiled straw and compress it with the help of a wooden lid and sprinkle spawn over the whole surface. After the first layer of spawning, put another 5cms of straw and again sprinkle spawn over the surface, compress it as in the first layer. In this way, continue to sprinkle spawn over the layer of straw for 4 to 6 layers till the straw is in level with the top of the frame. Only (1) one packet of spawn should be used for one cube or block. The plastic sheet is now folded over the top of the frame and tied down with help of jute ropes previously placed below the plastic. After tying, the frame can be removed and what is left behind is a rectangular block of straw. Punch holes (2mm diameter) on all sides of the block for aeration. Place the block in an incubation room, side by side in shelves in single layer only taking care that they are not place directly on the floor or on the top of each other as this will generate excess heat. The temperature of the block should be maintained at 250 C. This can be noted by inserting a thermometer into the holes of the block. If the temperature rises above 250� C, it is advisable to aerate the room, and if the temperature falls, the room should be slowly heated up. It takes 12 to15 days for the spawn to spread throughout the straw and when the entire block has been completely white, it is a sign that spawn running is over. After spawn running, remove the ropes as well as the plastic sheet from the block. Tie the block vertically with coconut rope and hang it in a cropping room. From this stage onwards, the relative humidity of the room should not be less than 85%. This can be maintained by periodically spraying water on the walls and floor of the room. If it is a cemented floor, it is advisable to pour water on the floor so that water always remains on the floor. If the block shows signs of drying light, spraying can be done with the help of sprayer. Within a week to 10 days, tiny pinheads will be seen on the surface of the block and these will grow into fullsize mushrooms within a day or two. When fruits bodies start forming, the requirement of air is increased. Therefore, once fruit bodies start forming, it is essential that there is an exchange of fresh air every 6 to 12 hrs, by opening the ventilator provided at the front and backside of the r oom. The fruits bodies (mushrooms) are ready for picking just when the periphery of the caps starts turning upward. This will be evident as small crinkles appear on the side of the piles (cap). To harvest the mushrooms, take hold of the stripe (stalk) at the base with thumb and forefinger and with a gentle anti-clockwise twist, detach the mushroom from the straw without disturbing the straw or any small mushroom growing alongside. Do not use knife or scissors for harvesting. The block will again come to fruiting after about a week.

Yield �Mushrooms appear in flushes. About 2 to 3 flushes may be harvested from a single cube. The yield of the first flush is more and then gradually decreases, giving a total yield of 1.5 kg to 2 kg of fresh mushroom from one cube. Then the cube is discarded and dump in a pit situated far from the cropping room or can be used as manure in a garden or field. Preservation �Mushroom can be consumed fresh or may be dried.  Since they are highly per ishable in nature, it is necessary to preserve the product for further use or for distant marketing. The oldest and cheapest method of preserving oyster mushroom is by sun drying. �Hot air drying is effectively used, whereby mushr ooms are dried in the equipment called "Dehydrator" (a locally designed equipment). Mushrooms are placed in wire netted racks fitted in a closed chamber and hot air (500 C � 550 C) is passed through the rack for about 7 to 8 hrs. After drying the mushroom, it can be stored in airtight containers or sealed in poly bags for 6 to 8 months. After complete drying, the mushroom are reduce to about 1/13th of their fresh weight which may vary depending upon the variety. The dried mushroom can be easily rehydrated when soaked in warm water. Diseases and Pests A number of diseases and pests may attack the mushroom crop if left un-cared. Disease 1. Green mould (Trichoderma viridae): It is the most common disease green coloured patches are observed on cubes.

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Control : Dip a cotton swab in formalin solution (4%) and scrapped off the affected area. If the fungus attacks more than half of the cube then the entire cube should be discarded. Care should be taken that the contaminated cube is burnt or buried in a place far from the cropping room to avoid re-infection. Insects Flies: Scarid flies, Phorid flies, Cecid flies are found to be attracted to mushroom and odour of spawn. They lay eggs on the straw or mushrooms, and the larva emerging from them damage the crop. Larva feed on the mycelium, mushroom and penetrate inside the fruiting bodies making it unfit for consumption. Control: To check entry of adult flies during the cropping period, screen the doors, windows or ventilators, if any with 30mesh nylon or wire net. Use fly-trap or repellent in mushroom house. Mites: These are very thin, small crawling insects that appear on the mushroom body. They are not damaging, but annoyed the grower when present in large numbers. Control: Maintain a hygienic condition of the house as well as its surroundings. Slugs, Snails: These pests chew up portion of the mushroom which may later get infected with bacteria and affect the quality of the crop. Control: Remove the pests from the cubes and kill them. Maintain hygienic conditions. Other Pests Rodents: The attack by rodents is found mostly in low cost mushroom house (mud house). They eat the grain spawn and make holes inside the cubes. Control: Use rat poison bait in the mushroom house. Burrow of rats should be close down with glass pieces and plaster. Ink caps (Coprinus spp.): It is a weed of mushroom that develop on the cubes before cropping begins. They subsequently disintegrate into a black sliming mass at maturity. Control: Physical removal of Coprinus from the cube is the only control measure recommended.

Precautions �"Prevention is better than cure" is the fundamental motto of mushroom growing since it is a very delicate crop and curative measures are often difficult. The mushroom itself being a fungus, when fungal diseases appear, it is often very difficult to control as the chemicals used against the disease may affect the mushroom itself. Thus, infinite care has to be exercised from the very start to discourage the entry of any foreign "germs" or contamination. The following precautions should not be over-looked :

�The very first requirement in mushroom growing is sanitation and hygienic conditions. Most of the problems in mushroom growing arise due to improper hygiene: 1. The room where mushrooms are to be grown should be thoroughly washed and then whitewashed with lime. The floor should also be limed. 2. The surrounding of the house should be devoid of stagnant drains, shrubs and other weeds as these harbour harmful diseases and insect pests. 3. At the entry of every room, there should be a trough filled with 2% formalin solution, wherein the shoes or feet must be dipped before entering the room. 4. The workers should be clean and preferably wear clean over alls. 5. No trash or surplus straw etc. should be left around the house. 6. In case of contamination, the contaminated block should be remove to a spot well away from the house and buried in a pit or burnt. 7. At the end of every cropping process, the room should be washed again and white- washed and fumigated with formalin. 8. The plastic sheets should be washed thoroughly and then soaked in 2% formalin as a final wash and then dried out, after every lot is removed. 9. Any fallen bits of straw or mushroom should not be lef t on the floor of the room. Cleaning and cutting off of the base of the mushroom stalk should be done outside the growing room and properly disposed off. 10. Broken pieces of the mushroom stalk, while harvesting, should not be left on the blocks. If the stalk breaks, it should be removed entirely from the bed. 11. Clean straw is important for mushroom growing. While preparing the block, care should be taken that it is properly compressed. The more the compression, the better will be the spawn running. 12. Excessive moisture at any stage of growth is harmful. The environment should be damp but not wet. For this reason a sprayer with a very fine nozzle is advisable to avoid large droplets. Excessive moisture will invite unwanted contaminants, which will be a hindrance, and in many cases will be serious competitors to the mushroom spawn. 13. While raising the temperature of the room, when required, care should be taken that there is no sudden rise in temperature. The temperature should be raised gradually till it attains the required level. 14. When placing the block for spawn running do not place them on top of each other, otherwise this will generate excess heat. Place the blocks side by side in single layers only. 15. The block should not be left un-opened in the plastic for more than 24 hours after the spawn has completely impregnated the straw.

16. There should be gentle exchange of air in the room with fresh air. Wind current cause drying and formation of malformed mushroom. Objectives �The main focus of the project should be motivation, Training, Information dissemination, Technical and Financial assistance for preparation of culture/spawn cultivation, harvesting, storage, processing, packaging, marketing linkages with farmers to increase employment opportunities and generating income. The project should include one or all of the following activities

1.� Awareness generation, motivation and involvement of farmers in cultivation of� Mushrooms. 2.� The Project should target at providing technical training to women, small, marginal and landless farmers, rural youth etc. 3.� Providing technical and financial assistance to the farmers for developing Spawn/culture centers. 4. Information dissemination to the farmers, tribals about the market available for different varieties of Mushrooms. Identification and arrangement of suitable market for the collected produce. 5. Conducting meetings/ seminars/ workshops for providing common platform for farmers and marketers. 6. Documentation and publication of useful information concerning preparation of Spawn/culture, techniques of cultivation of various types of mushroom, their semi-processing and preservation, quality control packaging and marketing.� 7. Networking and collaboration among the various stakeholders dealing with Mushroom Cultivation and marketing. Eligibility �Voluntary Organisation working in rural areas with a legal status of a society registered for 3 years under Societies Registration Act XXI, 1860 or any corresponding state Act or a Trust registered under Indian Trust Act, 1882 or the Charitable and Religious Trusts Act, 1920 will be eligible for financial assistance subject to the condition that:The VO should have a nationalised Bank or Post Office A/c for last three years. �

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The VO should be working in rural areas, even if the Hqrs. are in urban area. The VO should possess Permanent Account Number (PAN) of Income Tax Department. The VO should not be under funding restriction.

�Criteria for project assist ance:1) The mushroom farming activities will be extended to the farmers in general and small and marginal farmers in particular by eligible and competent voluntary organizations, who will provide technical and supervisory support to the farmers. 2) The project proposal should be short-term result oriented in nature, normally upto 1 to 2 years. �Preparation and submission of project proposal The project proposal should be prepared on the lines of the format prescribed by CAPART. The objectives of the proposal should be precise and well defined indicating the likely benefits to be derived and specified the category of beneficiaries. The action programmes and methodology of implementation of the activities should be as detailed as possible and clear outlining the work allocation and time schedule of each activity. Two copies of the project proposal complete in all respects with organizational profile, Registration Certificate, certified photocopy of Memorandum and Bye-laws and, Audited Statement of Accounts, Annual Report, Bank/Post Office Accounts of last three years and Permanent Account Number of the Organization should be forwarded to CAPART�s Regional Committee for project costing upto 20 lakhs, and Budget above Rs. 20 Lakhs to the CAPART head Quarters New Delhi. � Economics: An average yield of 2 kgs per cube (45 X 30 X 15 cms ) are expected from a well maintained mushroom house, although in some cases, an average yield of 3 kgs per cube are obtained. The prevailing market rate of fresh Pleurotusmushroom range from Rs. 50/- to Rs. 60/- per kg and the present estimated overall cost of production is approximately at Rs. 25/-per kg. Hence the farmer obtains a 100% profit from Pleurotus mushroom cultivation a) Infrastructure/equipment/materials: 300 sq.ft. thatched shed and erection of 6 tier : Rs. 10,000-00 �bamboo racks- material support. Cost of trays for mushroom beds and other����  : Rs.� 5,000-00 ����������� ��� Covering materials.���������������������������������������  : Rs.� 15,000-00

�Operational Costs Cost of substrates (straws etc) per year��������  :7,000-00 Cost of plastic bags for packing products/year:1,500-00 Cost of Spawns/year�����������������������������������  :6,000-00 Miscellaneous costs (Chemical etc.)�� :���������� 1,500-00 �������������������������������������������������������������� ��������������������� _________ �������������������������������������������������������������� �������������� �������16,000 -00 The Spawn Unit will prepare spawns and distribute to the 20 cultivators and collect/purchase their products for collective local marketing.� The expenses in this regard would be: 1.

Infrastructure/equipment/materials: i)���� 40� x 10� floor area shed @ Rs. 150/- per sq.ft:��  60,000-00 ii)��� A 22 liter pressure cooker��� :���������������� 40,000-00� iii)�� LPG Gas cylinder & stove ���� :��������������� 9,000-00 iv)� Miscellaneous utensils/accessories���� :��� 2,000-00 ���������������������������������������������������� ���� �� �___________ ������������������������������� ������������������������������ ��������� �75,000 -00 2. Operational Costs: i)��������� first Generation Spawns in glass glucose bottles: ����������� FGS x 25 Cycles� = 200 FGS @ R s. 70/- �������������� :�� � 14,000-00 ii) Tissue Culture in Glass Test Tubes � 3 Beds X 20 cultivators ����������� = 60 Beds x 14 days per cycles 308 second generation spawns in polypropylene pouches ( 104 Tissue Culture yearly x Rs. 100/- �� :��� �10,400-00 iii���������  Polypropylene bags @ Rs. 250 x 26 cycles����������� :���� :� 6,500-00 ����������� Cost of 2800 Kg. Jowar/Wheat grains required for culturing 26 cycles @ Rs. 10/- per Kg. iv)������� Cost of o ther chemical components &  �� miscellaneous expenses

1. A.

THE PROPOSED BUDGET: Capital Investment Credit Support:

1. The Beneficiaries: ����� Credit Investment Support to 20 identified ������ Beneficiaries @ Rs. 20,000/- per beneficiary� Rs. 4,00,000-00 ������ (Rs. 20000/- x 20) vide illustration 4.3 above 2. The Spawn Center: ����� Infrastructure costs, operational costs ����� and purchase credit capital as detailed ��������� Rs. 2,10,900-00 ����� under 4.3 above.����������������������������� ����������� Rs. 6,10,900-00 B. Operational Grants: 1. Training for the identical 20 beneficiaries������ Rs.�� 10,000-00 ��� in scientific Topical Mushroom Cultivation 2. Salary for a Coordinator of the project @ ������� Rs. 5000/- per month�������������������������������� Rs.�� 60,000-00 ������ (Rs. 5000 x 12 months) �� 3. Technical & /Resource support from expert��� Rs:�� 10,000-00 �� 4. Administrative expenses 10% of the ������ total budget ( Communications, stationers ��� Rs.�� 87,600-00 ������ and contributory establishment costs) Total���������������������������������� ��������� � Rs. ����� Grand 7,78,500-00���������� Project Proposal Components: -

The project proposal is prepared as per the ARTS guidelines. The proposed activities and methodologies should be specified such as: 1. Awareness Generation and Motivation ���� 2.�� Training �3.� Cultivation � Compost preparation � Preparation Of mushroom� House / Rooms-Cube Preparing Cropping� Room � Spawn /Culture

Room

4.� Semi-processing/ Packaging 5. Marketing 6. Documentation and Publication 7. Staff Salaries 8. Travel/TA/DA 9. Equipment 10. Contingencies/Unforeseen Expenses 9. Budget � (i) Infrastructure (shed etc.) (ii) Equipment(trays,polythene bags ,cylinders,Drums etc) (iii) Raw Materials and Supplies (Straw Chemicals etc). (iv)Awareness and Training (v) Salaries(Technical support/consultancy/supervisor/extension worker) (vi) Processing� and Packaging (vii)Marketing Linkage (viii)Unforseen/Miscellaneous (ix) Administrative Expenses Resource Institutions 1.�������� Peermade Development Society Peermade, Idukki, Kerala

2.�������� Himalaya Environmental Studies and Conservation Organization (HESCO) Ghisarpadi, PO Mehuwala via Majra, District Dehradun � 248001 Uttaranchal. 3.�������� Mitra Niketan PO-Mitraniketan Vallanad � 695543 Kerala 4.�������� Indian Agriculture Research Institute New Delhi.�

om Production / Button mushroom production 

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Button mushroom production

 Agro-climatic Requirements In India, button mushrooms are grown seasonally and in environment controlled cropping houses. White button mushroom requires 20-280 C for vegetative growth (spawn run) and 12-180 C for reproductive growth. Besides that it requires relative humidity of 80-90% and enough ventilation during cropping. Seasonally, it is grown

during the winter months in the north-west plains of India and for 8-10 months in a year on the hills. However, with the advent of modern cultivation technology it is now possible to cultivate this mushroom anywhere in India.

The growers can take on average 3-4 crops of white button mushrooms in a year depending upon the type and varieties cultivated. Factors affecting the yield of the crop both in terms of quality and quantity are incidence of pests/pathogens and non-availability of pure quality of spawn.

Growing and Potential Belts The major producing states are Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

Varieties / Strains Ooty 1 and Ooty (BM) 2 (released in 2002) are the two strains of button mushrooms released for commercial cultivation by the scientists of Horticulture Research Station of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University at Vijayanagaram, Ooty. The strains which are mostly cultivated in India are S-11, TM-79 and Horst H3.

Cultivation Technology The whole process of mushroom production can be divided into the following steps: Spawn production Compost preparation Spawning Spawn running Casing Fruiting

Spawn Production Spawn is produced from fruiting culture / stocks of selected strains of mushrooms under sterile conditions. Stock culture may be produced in the lab or may be obtained from other reputed sourc es. Fruiting culture is mainly imported from various places including foreign sources which give higher yield than Indian strains and the spawn is produced in the lab. The spawn should be of good quality in terms of flavour, texture and size apart from having potential for high yield and longer shelf life.

Compost Preparation The substrate on which button mushroom grows is mainly prepared from a mixture of plant wastes (cereal straw/ sugarcane bagasse etc.), salts (urea , superphosphate / gypsum etc), supplements (rice bran/ wheat bran) and water. In order to produce 1 kg.of mushroom, 220 g. of dry substrate materials are required. It is recommended that each ton of compost should contain 6.6 kg. nitrogen, 2.0 kg. phosphate and 5.0 kg. of potassium (N:P:K- 33: 10:25) which would get converted into 1.98% N, 0.62% P and 1.5% K on a dry weight basis. The ratio of C: N in a good substrate should be 25-30 : 1 at the time of staking and 16-17 : 1 in the case of final compost. a. Short Method of composting

During the first phase of compost preparation, paddy straw is placed in layers and sufficient water is added to the stack along with fertilizers, wheat bran, molasses etc. The whole thing is mixed thoroughly with the straw and made into a stack (almost 5feet high,5 feet wide and of any length can be made with the help of wooden boards). The stack is turned and again watered on the second day. On the f ourth day the stack is again turned for the second time by adding gypsum and watered. The third and final turning is given on the twelveth day when the colour of the compost changes into dark brown and it starts emitting a strong smell of ammonia. The second phase is the pasteurization phase .The compost prepared as a result of microbe mediated fermentation process needs to be pasteurized in order to kill undesirable microbes and competitors and to convert ammonia into microbial protein.The whole process is carried out inside a s teaming room where an air temperature of 600 C is maintained for 4 hours. The compost finally obtained should be granular in structure with 70% moisture content and pH 7.5. It should have a dark brown colour, sweet unobnoxious smell and free from ammonia, insects and nematodes. After the process is complete, the substrate is cooled down to 250 C. b. Long Method of composting

The long method of composting is usually practiced in areas where facilities for steam pasteurization is not available. In this method, the first turning is given about six days after preparation of the substrate for composting. The second turning is given on the tenth day followed by third one on the thirteenth day when gypsum is added. The fourth, fifth and sixth turnings are given on the sixteenth, nineteenth and twenty-second day. On the twenty-fifth day the seventh turning is given by adding 10% BHC (125 g.) and the eighth turning is given on the twenty-eighth day after which it is checked whether there is any smell of ammonia present in the compost. The compost is ready for spawning only if it doesn’t have any smell of ammonia; otherwise a few

more turnings are given at an interval of three days till there is no smell of ammonia.

Spawning The process of mixing spawn with compost is called s pawning. The different methods followed for spawning are given below:

(i) Spot Spawning : Lumps of spawn are planted in 5 cm. deep holes made in the compost at a distance of 20-

25 cm. The holes are later covered with compost. (ii) Surface Spawning : The spawn is evenly spread in the top layer of the compost and then mixed to a depth

of 3-5 cm. The top portion is covered with a thin layer of compost. (iii) Layer Spawning : About 3-4 layers of spawn mixed with compost are prepared which is again covered with

a thin layer of compost like in surf ace spawning. The spawn is mixed through the whole mass of compost at the rate of 7.5 ml./ kg. Compost or 500 to 75 0 g./ 100 kg. compost (0.5 to 0.75%).

Spawn Running  After the spawning process is over, the compost is filled in polythene bags(90x90 cm., 150 gauge thick having a capacity of 20-25 kg. per bag)/ trays(mostly wooden trays 1x1/2 m. accommodating 20-30 kg. c ompost) / shelves which are either covered with a newspaper sheet or polythene. The fungal bodies grow out from the spawn and take about two weeks (12-14 days) to colonise. The temperature maintained in cropping room is 23 ± 20 C. Higher temperature is detrimental for growth of the spawn and any temperature below than that specified for the purpose would result in slower spawn run. The relative humidity should be around 90% and a higher than normal CO2 concentration would be beneficial.

Casing The compost beds after complete spawn run should be covered with a layer of soil (casing) about 3-4 cm. thick to induce fruiting. The casing material should be having high porosity, water holding c apacity and the pH should range between 7-7.5. Peat moss which is consid ered to be the best casing material is not available in India, as such the mixtures like garden loam soil and sand (4:1); decomposed cowdung and loam soil (1:1) and spent compost (2-3 years old); sand and lime are commonly used. The casing soil before appl ication should be either pasteurized (at 66-700 C for 7-8 hours), treated with formaldehyde (2%), formaldehyde (2%) and bavistin (75 ppm.) or steam sterilized. The treatment needs to be done at least 15 days before the material is used f or casing. After casing is done the temperature of the room i s again maintained at 23-280 C and relative humidity of 85-90% for another 8-10 days. Low CO2 concentration is favourable for reproductive growth at this stage.

Fruiting Under favourable environmental conditions viz. temperature (initially 23 ± 20 C for about a week and then 16 ± 20 C ), moisture (2-3 light sprays per day for moistening the casing layer), humidity( above 85%), proper ventilation and CO2 concentration (0.08-0.15 %) the fruit body initials which appear in the form of pin heads start growing and gradually develop into button stage.

Pest & Diseases

The insect pests mostly observed are nematodes, mites and springtails. The crop is suspect to several diseases like Dry Bubble (brown spot), Wet Bubble (White Mould), Cobweb, Green Mould, False truffle (Truffle disease), Olive green mould, Brown plaster mould and Bacterial blotch. Professional help and extension advice will have to sought by the entrepreneur to adopt appropriate and timely control measures against pests & diseases.

Harvesting and Yield Harvesting is done at button stage and caps measuring 2.5 to 4 cm. across and c losed are ideal for the purpose. The first crop appears about three weeks after casing. Mushrooms need to be harvested by light twisting without disturbing the casing soil. Once the harvesting is complete, the gaps in the beds s hould be filled with fresh sterilized casing material and then watered. About 10-14 kg. f resh mushrooms per 100 kg. fresh compost can be obtained in two months crop. Short method used for preparation of compost under natural conditions gives more yield (15-20 kg. per 100 kg. compost). Post harvest management

Post harvest management Short Term Storage Button mushrooms are highly perishable. Harvested mushrooms are cut at the soil line and washed in a solution of 5g. KMS in 10L. of water for removing the soil particles as well as to induce whiteness. After removing excess water these are packed in perforated poly bags each containing around 250-500 g. of mushrooms. They can be stored in polythene bags at 4-50 C for a short period of 3-4 days. The mushrooms are usually packed in unlabelled simple polythene or polypropylene for retail sale. Bulk packaging does not exist. In developed countries, modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) and controlled atmosphere packaging (CAP) are in vogue.

Long Term Storage White button mushrooms are not usually dried by common procedures us ed in case of oyster, paddy and shitake mushrooms. Canning is the most popular method of preserving the white button mushrooms and sizeable quantity of canned produce are exported to international markets. Besides that, freeze drying, IQF and pickling are also practiced by some units.

 S ource: Directorate of Mushroom Research, Indian Council of Agriculture Research , Chambaghat- 173213, Solan, Himachal Pradesh

MAJOR EDIBLE MUSHROOMS OF INDIAN SUBCONTINENT 1.

PADDY STRAW MUSHROOM (Volvariella volvacea)

2.

GREY OYSTER (Pleurotus Sajor caju)

3.

TREE OR PEARL OYSTER (Pleurotus ostreatus) BUTTON MUSHROOM (Agaricus bisporus)

4.

5.

Milky Mushroom (Calocybe indica)

6.

SHIITAKE MUSHROOM (Lentinula edodes) WINTER MUSHROOM (Flammulina velutipes) BLACK EAR (Auricularia auricular)

7. 8.

NUTRITIVE VALUES OF DIFFERENT EDIBLE MUSHROOM

IMPORTANCE OF MUSHROOM CULTIVATION         

Mushroom as a Source of Protein and other Food Nutrient Unique Flavour and Exotic Taste Medicinal Properties Easy and Simple Production Procedure Labour Intensive Method of Cultivation  Absence of Crop Competition Suitable Enterprise for Farm Ladies Utilization of Agro-Wastes in Mushroom Cultivation Export Potential

Required Ingredients :

1) Paddy Straw : Straw of local paddy is usually good for paddy straw mushroom cultivation. Specially straw from paddy variety with white primodia, narrow, stiff and unthreshed(by bullock or tractor) is required. Paddy straw when trodden by bullocks or tractor, loose stiffness and easily rots when it comes in contact with water, gets compressed which is not good for mushroom mycelia growth. As such straw obtained through harvesting by beating the straw bundles with hand are always good for mushroom cultivation. Only the top and panicle portion is removed. Paddy straw should be harvested leaving only 4” to 6” from the ground level. This is because on fungal species is found at the base portion which caused rotting and contamination of the straw subsequently. Paddy straw from variety C.R.1014, 1242, 141, T90, is good for preparing mushroom beds.A mushroom bed of 2 feet l ength, 2 ft wide and 2 ft height is prepared from 10 to 20 bundles of straw as per the thickness of the straw bundles. First hold on the top of straw bundle and l oosen the binding of the straw bundle by doing so the leaves come out. If leaves will remain, it will hold more water for long time and cause rotting of the straw soon.

2) Mushroom Spawn: For one bed of mushroom 250 to 350 gm of mushroom spawn (seed) required. The culture should be free from i nfection. 3) Nutrition : For cultivation of paddy straw mushroom, powder of bengalgram, lentil, horsegram, red gram, blackgram or green gram and wheat bran and paddy husk is used. Powder obtained from bengalgram with its seed coat gives more yield form powder of bengalgram with seed coat.

Material required Mushroom :

to

prepare

one

bed

of

Straw bundle :- 15-20 bundles of straw OR 15 kg (as per thickness of bundle) Mushroom Spawn(Seed) :- One bottle Or 350 gm Nutrition :- 250 gm of Bengal gram or red gram Bed Size :- 2 ft x 2 ft OR 2.5 ft x 2.5 ft Space :- 3ft x 3ft OR 4ft x 4ft ( 10 sq ft to 16 sq. ft)

Cultivation Method : 1) Remove leaves of the straw bundle and cut to 2ft size with a straw cutter. The required number

of straw bundles are soaked in a tank of clean water for 12 to 16 hours. Water from ditches, ponds etc which are dirty should not be used. At the time of soaking use 100 ml of formalin

and 8 grams of bavistin per 100 liters of water. Where electric heaters are available hot water should be used for treating the straw bundles. 2) Remove the straw bundles from water and keep in standing positions for 5 to 6 hours so as to drain out the excess water from the outside and inside the straw bundles and only 75 % moisture will remain in the straw bundles. 3) Spawn of 2 to 3 weeks should be used. Break the bottle and remove the glasses. Use cotton to remove small glass piece if stick to the spawn. Divide the spawn to 4 equal parts and make small pieces of spawn having size of thumb finger. 4) Use 250 gms of Dal powder grinded from whole grain of bengalgram. Else use paddy husk or rice bran to reduce the cost of cultivation. It should also be divided to 4 equal parts. 5) After arranging straw, spawn and nutrition, prepare the beds. First put a layer of straw of 6 inches height. See that the bases of straw are towards outer side and top portion are inside. Let the direction of the first layer be east-west or north-south. Take one part of the spawn out of the 4 parts and put the spawn pi eces on the bed leaving 2 inches from outer side and at 3 inches distance. Sprinkle the dal powder of Bengalgram or redgram over the spawn blocks and nearby area. 6) Over the first layer, put again 6 inches height of straw. Arrange the straw on the opposite direction of the first layer (East-west of North-south). Take of another part of spawn and put the spawn piece at a distance of 3 t o 4 inches as in the first l ayer. Also sprinkle the dal powder over it as done previously. 7) Put the third layer of 6 inches of straw in parallel direction to the 1 st layer and put rest 2

parts of spawn all over the third layer and sprinkle 2 parts of Dal powder too. 8) Cover the third layer with the final 4 th layer of straw of 1 to 2 inches width, parallel to the 2nd layer. Now press the layer at the top so that the mycelium can grow well. Cut the spilled straw all around the bed with the help of a seizure. 9) After the bed is ready, cover it with white polythene or stitched sheet of cement/fertilizer bags. First 4-5 days keep the beds as such. After 4-5 days the polythene sheet may be removed for 30 minutes daily for aeration and spray water only on portion of bed where straw is dried. 10) After 10 to 11 days when mycelium growth is observed, the polythene cover may be removed exposing the bed to open air. 11) Harvesting : First flush of mushroom comes out after 13-15 days of sowing. The mushroom should be harvested at bud stage whose demand is more in the market and also tasty on cooking. After 14-15 days first phase of harvesting is done giving 90 % of the yield. The beds may be retained for another after 5-10 days for the second phase of harvest of 10 % or can be taken outside for second phase harvest so that fresh bed can be laid out to save time of harvest cycle.

PADDY STRAW MUSHROOM CULTIVATION

Paddy Straw Mushroom Cultivation Method Video

Required Ingredients :

1) Paddy Straw : Straw of local paddy is usually good for paddy straw mushroom cultivation. Specially straw from paddy variety with white primodia, narrow, stiff and unthreshed(by bullock or tractor) is required. Paddy straw when trodden by bullocks or tractor, loose stiffness and easily rots when it comes in contact with water, gets compressed which is not good for mushroom mycelia growth. As such straw obtained through harvesting by beating the straw bundles with hand are always good for mushroom cultivation. Only the top and panicle portion is removed. Paddy straw should be harvested leaving only 4” to 6” from the ground level. This is because on fungal species is found at the base portion which caused rotting and contamination of the straw subsequently. Paddy straw from variety C.R.1014, 1242, 141, T90, is good for preparing mushroom beds.A mushroom bed of 2 feet l ength, 2 ft wide and 2 ft height is prepared from 10 to 20 bundles of straw as per the thickness of the straw bundles. First hold on the top of straw bundle and l oosen the binding of the straw bundle by doing so the leaves come out. If leaves will remain, it will hold more water for long time and cause rotting of the straw soon.

2) Mushroom Spawn: For one bed of mushroom 250 to 350 gm of mushroom spawn (seed) required. The culture should be free from i nfection. 3) Nutrition : For cultivation of paddy straw mushroom, powder of bengalgram, lentil, horsegram, red gram, blackgram or green gram and wheat bran and paddy husk is used. Powder obtained from bengalgram with its seed coat gives more yield form powder of bengalgram with seed coat.

Material required Mushroom :

to

prepare

one

bed

Straw bundle :- 15-20 bundles of straw OR 15 kg (as per thickness of bundle) Mushroom Spawn(Seed) :- One bottle Or 350 gm Nutrition :- 250 gm of Bengal gram or red gram

of

Bed Size :- 2 ft x 2 ft OR 2.5 ft x 2.5 ft Space :- 3ft x 3ft OR 4ft x 4ft ( 10 sq ft to 16 sq. ft)

Cultivation Method : 1) Remove leaves of the straw bundle and cut to 2ft size with a straw cutter. The required number

of straw bundles are soaked in a tank of clean water for 12 to 16 hours. Water from ditches, ponds etc which are dirty should not be used. At the time of soaking use 100 ml of formalin and 8 grams of bavistin per 100 liters of water. Where electric heaters are available hot water should be used for treating the straw bundles. 2) Remove the straw bundles from water and keep in standing positions for 5 to 6 hours so as to drain out the excess water from the outside and inside the straw bundles and only 75 % moisture will remain in the straw bundles. 3) Spawn of 2 to 3 weeks should be used. Break the bottle and remove the glasses. Use cotton to remove small glass piece if stick to the spawn. Divide the spawn to 4 equal parts and make small pieces of spawn having size of thumb finger. 4) Use 250 gms of Dal powder grinded from whole grain of bengalgram. Else use paddy husk or rice bran to reduce the cost of cultivation. It should also be divided to 4 equal parts. 5) After arranging straw, spawn and nutrition, prepare the beds. First put a layer of straw of 6 inches height. See that the bases of straw are towards outer side and top portion are inside. Let the direction of the first layer be east-west or north-south. Take one part of the spawn out of the 4 parts and put the spawn pi eces on the bed leaving 2 inches from outer side and at 3 inches distance. Sprinkle the dal powder of Bengalgram or redgram over the spawn blocks and nearby area. 6) Over the first layer, put again 6 inches height of straw. Arrange the straw on the opposite direction of the first layer (East-west of North-south). Take of another part of spawn and put the spawn piece at a distance of 3 to 4 inches as in the firs t layer. Also sprinkle the dal powder over it as done previously. 7) Put the third layer of 6 inches of straw in parallel direction to the 1 st layer and put rest 2

parts of spawn all over the third layer and sprinkle 2 parts of Dal powder too. 8) Cover the third layer with the final 4 th layer of straw of 1 to 2 inches width, parallel to the 2nd layer. Now press the layer at the top so that the mycelium can grow well. Cut the spilled straw all around the bed with the he lp of a seizure. 9) After the bed is ready, cover it with white polythene or stitched sheet of cement/fertilizer bags. First 4-5 days keep the beds as such. After 4-5 days the polythene sheet may be removed for 30 minutes daily for aeration and spray water only on portion of bed where straw is dried. 10) After 10 to 11 days when mycelium growth is observed, the polythene cover may be removed exposing the bed to open air. 11) Harvesting : First flush of mushroom comes out after 13-15 days of sowing. The mushroom should be harvested at bud stage whose demand is more in the market and also tasty on cooking.

After 14-15 days first phase of harvesting is done giving 90 % of the yield. The beds may be retained for another after 5-10 days for the second phase of harvest of 10 % or can be taken outside for second phase harvest so that fresh bed can be laid out to save time of harvest cycle.

Mushroom Spawn Production Unlike agriculture, mushroom seed (Spawn) production involves sophisticated technology with high investment requiring laboratory and equipments with accessories. The major constraint in mushroom production is nonavailability of spawn. The technology of spawn production is given by Eco-care and Aware.  Three roomed house with some equipments, furniture, glasswares, chemicals and some other accessories are required to start spawn lab. Keeping in view of demand for mushroom, it is urgently needed to have one spawn lab in each block. If 50 to 100 mushroom growers will be developed in a cluster of villages to grow minimum one quintal to two quintals of mushroom per day, one spawn unit can be set up there to feed the spawn to these mushroom growers. Each spawn producer should have its own mushroom production farm to know the efficacy of his own spawn as well as demonstrate the mushroom production technology to others which will promote the sale of spawn. By this both spawn unit and mushroom farm will be economically viable.

Objectives : (1) To produce 200 spawn bottles from two shift i.e. 5,000 bottles of spawn assuming 25 working days per month. (2) To create income of Rs. 30,000/ - per month from spawn & mushroom farm. REQUIREMENT FOR SPAWN UNIT A. Land and building Four roomed building will be essential to state spawn lab. one room will be used to multiply

fungus which is called “inoculation chamber” with another room will be devoted to prepare media for culture tube an spawn bottle or which it is called media room. It can be used as media for culture tube an spawn bottle or which it is called media room. It can be used as media cum office room. Fourth room will be kept as store room. The incubation chamber wi ll be air tight fitted with light and U.V. Light. The maintenance of aseptic condition in i noculation chamber is must for production of quality spawn. Initially inc ubation chamber can be made in ordinary room keeping some iron rocks to accommodate spawn bottles. After wards air conditioning machine can be fitted to maintain desired temperature.

1. Total Plinth area of spawn Lab – 25' × 12' = 300sq. ft. 2. Inoculation chamber - 8' × 7' = 56 sq. ft. 3. Ante room - 4' × 7' = 28 sq. ft. 4. Incubation Chamber - 12' × 8' = 96 sq. ft. 5. Office cum Media room - 10' × 8' = 80 sq. ft. 6. Store room - 10' × 4' = 40 sq. ft. B. Equipment and Machineries

(a) Auto clave : One autoclaves are required to sterilize the media in culture tube and wheat medium in spawn bottles.(operated by both electricity and gas) (b) Furniture : To keep spawn bottle or pouches, some iron racks are needed in incubation chamber. One table, with two stools are to be kept in inoculation chamber. One long table will be kept in media room along with some stools. (c) Accessories : (i) Weighing balance will be useful for weighing the chemicals required for preparing media and for spawn production. (ii) Chula with cylinder : To boil wheat and to prepare media for culturing. Chula with Cylinder are necessary. (d) Glass wares, chemicals and raw materials : culture tube, innoculation needle, measuring cylinder, dextrose, plastic busket, Agar agar, Formaldehyde, Cotton, Wheat.

MUSHROOM SEEDS 0 COMMENTS

ECO-MUSHROOM SEEDS

Quality mushroom seeds are necessary for successful in Mushroom cultivation. ‘Eco-care & Aware’  has taken initiative in providing quality seeds to interested farmers in the name of Eco-Mushroom. Basically we provide two types of mushroom seeds namely Paddy Straw and Oyster(Prepared in Bottles, see Picture). Paddy straw Mushroom are grown throughout the year in Odisha. But Oyster mushroom are generally grown in winter season only. These two types of mushroom can also be grown throughout the Indian Subcontinent.

We can deliver quality Mushroom Seeds at the following Locations : Odisha : Throughout the state Odisha (All district head quarters) Chhatisgarh : At Raipur & Bhilai Jhadakhand : At Ranchi, Jamsedpur (Tata) Andhra Pradesh : At Visakhapatanam(Vizak / Waltior), Vizianagaram, Vijayawada & Rajamundry Telengana : At Hyderbad West Bengal : At Kolkata, Durgapur & Asansol

Contact for Buying Mushroom Seeds/ Spawn : Abhishek Kumar Sadhu Programme Manager, ECO-MUSHROOM M- 07873580870 / 09438298830 PADDY STRAW MUSHROOM CULTIVATION PROFIT ANALYSIS : Unlike other agriculture practices, mushroom farming(Paddy Straw) has a production cycle of only 15 days. ie farmers can get their return from mushroom farming within 15 days, that too 3-4 times of their initial input cost. Cost per bed is about 60-70 rupees(INR) and Yield from one bed is appx. 1 kg to 1.5 kg ie about Rs. 200/- (INR) return as per market price of mushroom. So farmers can get net profit of of 130/- or atleast Rs. 100/- profit per bed (deducting all the risk factors) within 15 days.