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Cultivation of White Button Mushroom
Cultivation of White Button Mushroom
Substrate
Compost is the substrate on which mushroom grows.
The biochemical activities of microorganisms make the substrate
selective for the growth of white button mushroom.
The process of compost making is called composting.
Composting
i. Animal manures
These include horse manure, chicken, pig and sheep manures.
The nitrogen content of these manures vary from 1-4% and are
cheap and freely available. Most farms use chicken manure as
nitrogen supplement due to poor availability of horse manure.
Cattle manure is not suitable for composting.
The temperature at the center of the heap usually rises to more than
60oC which favours the growth of thermophilic and thermotolerant
organisms (bacteria and actinomycetes) (fire fang) and destroys the
mesophilic organisms.
The frequent watering and turning of heap provides adequate supply
of water and oxygen to the fermenting organisms and help for proper
composting.
ii.
Horse manure - 1000 kg
Wheat straw - 500 kg
Chicken manure - 300 kg
Urea - 7 kg
Brewer’s grain - 60 kg
Gypsum - 30 kg
Synthetic compost
Formulation given by NCMRT, Solan
i.
Wheat straw - 300 kg
Wheat bran - 15 kg
Chicken manure - 125 kg
Urea - 5.5 kg
Gypsum - 20 kg
BHC 10% - 125 kg
ii.
Wheat and paddy straw (1:1) - 300 kg
Calcium ammonium nitrate - 9 kg
Wheat bran - 25 kg
Gypsum - 20 kg
BHC dust (10%) - 125 kg
Synthetic compost is comparable with natural compost because it
is capable of producing perfectly normal yields. Sometimes even
superior yields because of better aeration within the bed.
Natural compost if not pasteurized as per requirements will tend
to build up temperature within the bed which is detrimental to
spawn run; also pests and diseases become active.
If the compost is more uniform in quality and texture it supports
better spawn run, since the bed is better aerated. However, such
compost tends to dry up quickly when the atmosphere turns dry.
The actual time of composting of synthetic compost is about a
week longer (16-20 days) than that required for composting horse
manure (natural compost) in the normal way (12-15 days).
Methods of composting
Basically there are two methods of composting
viz., long method and short method of composting
It takes about 3-4 weeks, gives low yield and invites many pests
and diseases.
Turning is done to ensure that the every portion of the pile gets
equal amount of aeration and water.
To give turning, remove about one foot of compost from the top
and sides of the pile. Shake it thoroughly so that excess of
ammonia is released and it is exposed to air properly.
Make a new pile with the help of mould keeping the central
portion at the bottom, top and side portions at the center and the
bottom portions on the topside. During pile formation, watering
is done if required.
10th day -Second turning
13th day -Third turning + addition of recommended gypsum
16th day -Fourth turning + 400 g of carbofuran 3G /t of straw
to check nematodes.
19th day -Fifth turning
22nd day -Sixth turning
25th day -Seventh turning + Add required quantity of BHC
or Malathion spray (0.2 %)
28th day -Break open the pile and check for ammonia smell.
If the compost is dark brown in colour and without any smell of
ammonia it is ready for spawning.
If slight smell of ammonia is detected, then the compost is kept as
such (opened) for one day and the excess ammonia will disappear.
Addition of formalin (0.5 %) and carbendazim (0.015 %) in the
compost 24-28 h prior to spawning is effective.
Composting is a fermentation process in which various organisms
convert ammonical nitrogen to microbial proteins, which are
ultimately utilized by mycelium of A. bisporus for its nutrition.
The method takes 28-30days to achieve the composting.
Attributes of good compost
Good compost should be dark brown in colour, not greasy or sticky,
have distinct sweet inoffensive smell, free from ammonia smell,
68-72 % moisture and a pH of 7.2-7.8.
There should not be any visible growth of other undesirable
organisms.
It should be free from insects and nematodes and the nitrogen
content should be around 1.75 and 2.2% for long and short method
of composting respectively.
Short method of composting (SMC)
It was first introduced in India by Shandilya (1977).
This method is superior to long method and it involves controlled
composting and the composting time is shortened to 15-22 days.
More compost per unit wt of straw (18-25 kg/100 kg) is produced
Compost is highly selective with little chances for pests and diseases
Labour requirement is less compared to long method.
The trays after spawning are stacked vertically one above the
other in 4-5 tiers. One meter space must be left in between the
compost tray and ceiling.
These should be about 15-20 cm space between the two trays for
various operations such as casing, watering, picking, etc.
Spawn of A. bisporus
Uses
• It creates stress necessary for induction of fruit bodies.
• It supplies water for growth and development of fruit bodies
and regulates the flow of nutrients from compost to
developing fruit bodies.
• It provides anchorage for the mushrooms and maintains
humidity and temperature in the cropping room by
evaporative cooling.
• It prevents the evaporation of excessive moisture from the
beds and act as a blanket against too rapids disappearance
of metabolic products.
• It provides a medium of low osmotic value compared to
compost and hence provides a proper mix for developing
pin heads.
• Bacteria like Pseudomonas group play an important role in
inducing fruit body formation. Casing soil provides a
medium for growth and multiplication of these bacteria,
thus providing congenial environment for fruiting.
Materials for casing layer
Peat is a universally accepted medium for mushroom
cultivation. It has very high water holding capacity and low pH.
Mixing of peat with CaCO3 brings down its water holding capacity
and increases its pH above 7.0 and makes it ideal for casing.
If peat is not available FYM + loam soil or FYM + 3 year old spent
compost are used as casing material.
Compost is then leveled by pressing the surface with hand and the
casing layer about 3-4 mm thick is applied uniformly over the
entire surface of compost. A very light spray of formalin (0.5 %) is
given after the casing. Casing layer should not be pressed after the
application over compost beds.
Pinhead formation
Harvest and yield
Mushrooms are picked just before the cap expands and
the gills are exposed. At this stage, the cap measures 2.5-8.0 cm
across. Closed mushrooms are always preferred. Open
mushrooms are inferior in quality and have shorter shelf life.
The yields are highly variable and depend on the quality of
compost and proper crop management. In India, the yield of
mushroom varies from 6-8 kg/m2 or 3-4 kg/tray. However, in
western countries, where technology is highly advanced the
average yields of 20 kg/ m2 are usual.
Mushroom crop
Grading and packing
Mushrooms are very delicate and start perishing soon after
picking. For sale as fresh mushrooms, they are generally graded
according to the accepted International standards. These are
Shelf life 1-3 days 3-5 days 3-5 days 1-3 days
Bioefficiency 80-120% 20-30% 100-150% 15-20%
Prodn cost/kg (Rs) 30 - 35 30 - 40 35-40 25 - 30
Market price/kg (Rs.) 50 - 60 80-100 70 - 80 50 - 60
Net profit /kg (Rs.) 20 - 25 50 - 60 35 - 40 25 - 30
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