Causes of Yellowing and Death of Young Morel Mushrooms and Watering Precautions

AbstractThe causes of yellowing and death of young morel mushrooms are excessive or insufficient humidity, and the occurrence of pests and diseases can also lead to death. Young morel mushrooms can be watered, but when the temperature in the mushroom house is above 20°C, watering is not advisable. After each watering, ventilation should be carried out promptly; do not water in a closed, stuffy environment. During the mushroom bud or young mushroom stage, water must not be sprayed directly onto the mushrooms or the mushroom bed; instead, water should be sprayed onto the ground and into the air.

I. What are the causes of yellowing and death of young morel mushrooms

The main causes of yellowing and death of young morel mushrooms are excessive or insufficient humidity. Generally, excessive humidity causes poor ventilation, and young mushrooms are easily drowned by waterlogging and prone to bacterial diseases, while insufficient humidity easily causes them to dry up and die. At the same time, if the temperature in the mushroom house is too high and the humidity is too high, the mushroom buds will be stimulated and die, and the occurrence of pests and diseases can also lead to death, or spraying pesticides during control measures can also cause the death of morel mushrooms.  

II. Can young morel mushrooms be watered

1. Young morel mushrooms can be watered, but when the temperature in the mushroom house is above 20°C, watering is not advisable. After each watering, ventilation should be carried out promptly; do not water in a closed, stuffy environment. During the mushroom bud or young mushroom stage, water must not be sprayed directly onto the mushrooms or the mushroom bed; instead, water should be sprayed onto the ground and into the air to maintain suitable humidity in the mushroom house. When the moisture in the mushroom logs or casing soil is insufficient, water should be replenished promptly to adjust humidity.

2. During the fruiting stage, chemical control methods are not recommended; instead, trapping and manual capture methods can be used for control. If pesticides must be used, they can only be applied after the mushrooms are harvested, choosing low-toxicity and low-residue products, with the concentration used kept within the permitted range.  At the same time, close attention should be paid to temperature changes, and the temperature of the mushroom house should be adjusted according to the weather forecast, keeping the mushroom house temperature below 20°C to avoid sudden increases in the mushroom house temperature.

3. Morel mushrooms generally fruit relatively abundantly from early May to early June each year. They are distributed worldwide, with wider distribution in France, Germany, India, the United States, and China, and scattered distribution in parts of the Soviet Union, Sweden, Spain, Mexico, Czechoslovakia, and Pakistan.

4. Morel mushrooms are widely distributed in China, from the three northeastern provinces in the north, to Fujian, Guangdong, and Taiwan in the south, to Shandong in the east, and to Xizang, Xinjiang, Ningxia, and Guizhou in the west, covering a total of 28 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions. However, the abundance of morel species resources varies among regions and shows very large differences.

5. Among them, the morel species resources in Gansu and Sichuan are relatively abundant. Morel mushrooms are a very precious wild mushroom. When selecting morel mushrooms, those that are large, dark in color, and pointed at the top are generally preferred. Pointed-top morel mushrooms with caps reaching 5 cm or more are considered premium morel mushrooms. Their market price is relatively expensive and they are rarely seen, and their nutritional value is also higher than that of other round-top morel mushroom forms.