Can matsutake be cultivated? A detailed explanation of cultivation methods

Matsutake is a highly precious edible fungus and also a natural tonic. At present, many cancer patients regard it as a “treasure”, because it contains various amino acids and trace elements needed by the human body, and also possesses a unique anti-cancer substance, matsutake alcohol. At present, the price of matsutake on the market remains high, and matsutake cultivation methods have also attracted the attention of many farmers.

Can matsutake be cultivated?

1. Matsutake can be artificially cultivated. The scientific name of matsutake is Tricholoma matsutake, a mycorrhizal fungus symbiotic with various pines, hemlocks and spruces, among which the forest of Japanese red pine is most suitable for its growth. Domestic matsutake mostly grows in forests of Korean pine, red pine, Yunnan pine and Huashan pine. Japanese people have a tradition of eating matsutake, and matsutake is one of the famous dishes at high-class banquets, priced at 18 million yen per ton, 18.8 times the price of shiitake.

2. Japanese people call places where matsutake is cultivated “matsutake mountains”, and income from matsutake is 3 times that from timber. China is very rich in matsutake resources. In particular, matsutake produced in the Yanbian area of Jilin Province comes out more than 1 month earlier than Japanese matsutake, and its quality is also better than Japan's. It enjoys a high reputation on the international market and is a forest resource worthy of attention.

How to grow matsutake

1. Wash fine river sand and spread it flat in a small wooden box. Insert collected wild matsutake fruiting bodies into the sand. After their spores fall, stir the sand so that each grain of sand can be coated with several spores. Then scatter the sand grains bearing spores into the artificially cultivated section of a red pine forest.

2. Transplantation method: In a mushroom ring where matsutake occurs, select a fruiting body with good growth that is about to open its cap. With it as the center, dig out a soil block 10~15 cm square with a large amount of mycorrhizae, and dig square holes of the same size around the pine trees where matsutake is to be planted, then put the dug soil blocks with mycorrhizae and fruiting bodies into them.

3. Fine root surface induction cultivation method: Loosen the soil within the canopy range of red pine to a depth of 7~10 cm, and cut fine roots to promote fine root proliferation. Pile straw branches and fallen leaves on the ground to form a litter layer, so that rainwater cannot quickly seep into the ground, prompting fine roots to grow upward, which can increase the chance of symbiosis between fine roots and matsutake mycelium.

Pest and disease control of matsutake

1. The disease resistance of matsutake fungus is still quite good, but it cannot be ruled out that improper management sometimes causes a certain degree of disease infection. Therefore, in ordinary management, pay more attention to some detailed issues, pay attention to ventilation, and if there are infected matsutake fungi, remove them in time and disinfect. Matsutake fungus often has pests such as mushroom flies, mushroom moths and nematodes. These mainly affect the quality of matsutake fungus. We can irradiate with a blowtorch indoors.

2. Matsutake is a relatively rare type of fungus now, and its price on the market is also very expensive, reaching about three hundred to six hundred yuan per kilogram. There are now also many artificially planted matsutake, but because matsutake has relatively high requirements for the planting environment and cultivation techniques, the annual yield and quality of matsutake are not satisfactory.

How to manage matsutake during fruiting

1. Fruiting management, that is, when matsutake mushrooms begin to emerge from the soil, we must begin preparations. This stage is very important, because a small mistake may cause reduced yield or death. About one and a half months after sowing, matsutake mushrooms slowly grow out. At this time, we need to water on the cultivation bed.

2. Then cover it with a layer of film, uncover it after two days, and when it reaches three or four cm, watering can no longer be done, otherwise the quality of matsutake will be affected. At the same time, we must pay attention to controlling the indoor and outdoor temperatures well, preferably around 25 degrees, and carry out ventilation at least twice a day, generally around seven or eight in the morning and around six or seven in the evening, until matsutake can be harvested.

With the continuous development of science and technology, the artificial cultivation method of matsutake has also been affirmed. At present, matsutake cultivation is mainly carried out in forests. Compared with ordinary fungi, the cultivation method of matsutake is slightly more complicated, but it also lives up to the word “rare”, after all, its nutritional value is also beyond that of other fungi.