Detailed Explanation of Key Points for High-Yield Cultivation Techniques of the Shaggy Mane Mushroom

The shaggy mane mushroom (Coprinus comatus) is a large fungus used both as food and medicine. In recent years it has been consistently popular and selling well on the market, and it is a rising star among edible fungi with great commercial potential. The shaggy mane mushroom, also known as the shaggy ink cap, is the common name for the shaggy mane mushroom; it gets its name because its shape resembles a chicken leg and its flesh and flavor resemble shredded chicken. It is a rare mushroom variety with commercial potential that has been artificially developed in recent years, and is hailed as the "rising star among mushrooms". The shaggy mane mushroom is rich in nutrients, delicious in taste, and has an excellent mouthfeel. Regular consumption helps to increase appetite, aid digestion, and enhance human immunity, and it has very high nutritional value.

In the 1970s, Western countries had already begun artificial cultivation, and China achieved success in artificial cultivation in the 1980s. Because the shaggy mane mushroom has a short bag growth cycle, a relatively high biological conversion rate, and is easy to cultivate, it is especially suitable for planting in rural China. The planting scale has expanded rapidly, and it has become one of the large-scale cultivated edible fungi of the order Agaricales in China. The fruiting body of the shaggy mane mushroom is medium to large, growing in clusters. In the mushroom bud stage, the cap is cylindrical, and later bell-shaped. It is 7-20 cm tall. When young, the cap is nearly smooth, and later has flat-lying scales or cracks on the surface. The cap, flesh, gills, and stipe of the young fruiting body are all white. The stipe is up to 1-2.5 cm thick and bears a ring.

When the cap extends from cylindrical to bell-shaped, the gills begin to change color, from light brown until black, and the fruiting body also becomes soft and black, completely losing its edible value. Therefore, harvesting during cultivation must be timely, and it should be harvested promptly at the cylindrical stage when the cap remains cylindrical, its edge tightly wraps the stipe, and there is no ring visible to the naked eye.

How can the shaggy mane mushroom be cultivated for high yield?

1 Cultivation site

① In-season cultivation can be carried out in a shed, or intercropped in orchards and cornfields;

② In the south, autumn and winter can use the winter fallow period after rice harvest for production, and after the mushrooms are completely harvested the following spring, the field can be directly plowed and returned to the field, making it a very good organic fertilizer for rice fields;

③ For off-season cultivation in the north, solar greenhouse sheds and imitation solar greenhouse edible fungus sheds are best, as they can make full use of the characteristic of abundant winter sunlight, supplemented by black plastic film arched sheds to raise and maintain temperature, achieving the goal of normal mushroom production in the cold winter season and obtaining relatively high economic benefits.

2 Strain selection

Compared through production practice, strains such as Ruidi 2000, CC Tewhite 1#, and CC Tewhite 36g have high yields, white fruiting bodies, large individuals, and sell well on the market. Other strains await comparative trials. 3 Culture material formula (kg)

① Cottonseed hulls 40, sunflower stalk (head) powder 40, corn stalk (cob) 20, dairy cow manure powder 20, wheat bran 5, rapeseed cake powder 3, compound fertilizer 1.5, quicklime powder 4, gypsum powder 1, additive 1# 0.1, additive 2# 0.15;

② Corn cobs 40, corn stalks 40, wheat straw (wheat husk) 20, yellow cattle manure powder 20, wheat bran 5, soybean cake powder 5, corn flour 5, compound fertilizer 1.4, quicklime powder 5, gypsum powder and additives the same as formula ①;

③ Cotton stalk powder 50, corn cobs 50, dairy cow manure powder 20, corn flour 5, wheat bran 5, soybean cake powder 5, compound fertilizer 1.1, quicklime powder 5, gypsum powder and additives the same as formula ①.

4 Mixing materials and building piles

The mixing method follows conventional practice, but care must be taken to mix materials, build piles, and ferment on a hardened ground surface. After mixing evenly by machine or by hand, build a trapezoidal pile running east-west with a bottom width of 1.5-2 m, a top width of 1-1.5 m, and a height of 0.6-1 m. Make the sides as steep as possible and pat them firm with a shovel. On the top of the pile, punch 5 cm ventilation holes at 30 cm intervals down to the bottom of the pile, for a total of 4-6 rows of holes. Immediately spray insecticide to seal the material surface and prevent pests from breeding in the low-temperature zone. Cover with breathable materials such as straw curtains and woven bags to retain moisture for fermentation. 5 Fermentation and pile turning

When the pile temperature rises to 60°C (30 cm down from the top of the pile) and is maintained for 24 h, begin turning the pile. Pile-turning method: first scrape off the material from the dry layer on the pile surface and pile it beside the original pile; shovel the material from the aerobic layer on the upper part of the pile to lay the bottom of a new pile; then lift the material from the dry layer scraped from both sides of the original pile and the material from both sides of the pile and place it in the middle of the new pile; finally turn the material from the bottom of the original pile to the top of the new pile. And so on. Still punch holes according to the specifications used when building the pile, spray insecticide, cover with breathable materials, etc. Turn the pile once every 24 h. When the pH of the material at the center of the bottom layer of the pile naturally rises to 7.5, fermentation can be terminated and semi-cooked material treatment carried out. 6 Semi-cooked material treatment

Punch ventilation holes in the fermented material lengthwise and crosswise, bury the steam pipeline, cover well with plastic film, and press the edges tightly. Then immediately introduce steam and attack fiercely with high heat. After the plastic film bulges and stabilizes, maintain for 1-2 h, then stop the fire. After steaming for 2-4 h, remove the plastic film, spread out the pile, add insecticide and bacteriostatic agent, adjust the pH and moisture, turn the material thoroughly and evenly, spread it out, and rapidly cool it to 24-26°C, then it can be loaded and inoculated. 7 Treatment of the cultivation site

① Ground treatment: 25-30 d before sowing, choose insecticides such as Basamid granular, 3% nematode deep-kill granules, 1.8% Jiqi Chuman Ke, Gujing, and Smeidi, apply them evenly on the ground, then turn and harrow them evenly into the soil to a depth of 20 cm. Cover the ground with black plastic film and seal it tightly to prevent gas leakage. Treat in a closed manner for 10-20 d. Note that before applying the pesticide, weeds, crop stems, and other materials on the ground must be cleaned up; otherwise, large amounts of contaminating fungi will breed in the soil.

② Wall treatment: Spray and brush the shed walls and the inner wall of the north slope with 5% caustic soda solution (or Bordeaux mixture, lime fungicide mixed disinfectant, lime-sulfur mixture) for sterilization; if the shed roof is made of organic materials such as bamboo and wood frames, spray and brush the above disinfectants all over for sterilization; if the shed has a steel frame structure, the method of burning with fire can be used to kill insects and sterilize.

③ Before loading and sowing, fumigate the shed overnight in a closed manner with aerosol or smoke disinfectant.

④ For mushroom sheds and vegetable sheds that have been used for one season, after production ends, the shade materials and plastic film on the shed roof must be removed promptly, the waste material thoroughly cleaned up, and the shed exposed to the sun for 2-3 months, and comprehensive disinfection treatment carried out according to the above methods, then beds can be built and material loaded for sowing. 8 Building beds

6-8 d before loading and sowing, begin bed-building work. Before building the beds, sprinkle some water appropriately according to the ground moisture to moisten the soil. If contaminating fungi have grown on the surface, they must first be sterilized before building the beds. Bed specifications: operation path width 60 cm, small bed width 40 cm, high-yield ridge width 20 cm. Between two operation paths there are two small beds and one long high-yield ridge, and then within each small bed, build a short high-yield ridge 20 cm wide every 50 cm, dividing the small bed into several small compartments, with a bed depth of 20-30 cm. The author conducted yield tests in Hunan from March to May 2003 using this method, and the yield increased by more than 50% compared with traditional bed cultivation, with large fruiting bodies and good mushroom quality. 9 Casing soil material and disinfection

① Soil quality requirements: soil that is moist but not sticky to the hand, dry but not pricking to the hand, with good porosity and strong water-holding capacity is best. This kind of soil has good air permeability and good water retention. ② Take soil from below 30 cm of the surface, because topsoil above 30 cm contains many harmful organisms and much organic matter, and is easily infected by contaminating fungi and pests.

③ Mix the prepared soil evenly with quicklime powder, adjust the pH to 7.5 (too high a pH easily causes alkali-tolerant contaminating fungi), then add insecticide and fungicide and adjust the soil moisture. Cover with film, press the edges tightly, and pile and seal for 3 d before use. Adding 30% furnace ash to the casing soil has a good yield-increasing effect. Casing soil disinfection must be carried out 5 d before sowing.

10 Sowing and casing

① When the material after semi-cooked treatment is spread out and cooled to 24-26°C, it can be loaded and inoculated. Use the mixed-spawning method: mix 70%-75% of the spawn amount evenly into the material, and evenly sprinkle 30%-25% of the spawn amount on the surface layer of the material to cover the material surface.

② After sowing, use a disinfected small wooden board or the like to pat the material surface flat and firm so that the spawn fully contacts the material, then gently cover the material surface with soil that has been disinfected and adjusted for moisture, 3-4 cm thick, with soil particles Φ1.5-2.5 cm. Finally sprinkle a 0.5 cm thick layer of plant ash to cover the soil, and cover with black film to retain moisture for mycelial growth. During the mycelial growth period, pay attention every day to ventilation and air exchange to prevent contaminating fungi from growing on the soil ridges and ground, and control the central temperature of the mushroom bed at 24-28°C, with the surface temperature of the mushroom bed not exceeding 30°C. The mushroom bed will be fully colonized in 10-13 d.

③ When the mycelium penetrates the soil layer and some mycelium is seen on the surface, uncover the black film, and use a disinfected broom to sweep and break the surface mycelium to promote its knotting and formation of primordia; then spray mushroom-promoting nutrient solution at 500-1000 mL/sq m, spray some clean water appropriately according to soil moisture, and when the surface soil is no longer sticky to the hand, cover with a layer of soil 2 cm thick with soil particles Φ0.5-1.5 cm (must be disinfected 5 d in advance, method as above). At the same time, dig the high-yield ridges into arc-shaped small trenches, spray mushroom-promoting nutrient solution appropriately, and then cover with another layer of disinfected soil 2 cm thick. 11 Mushroom production management

After the second casing, control the relative air humidity in the mushroom shed at 85%-90%, the mushroom bed temperature at 15-22%, and the air temperature in the shed is most suitable at 12-20°C, not lower than 10°C and not higher than 25°C; under conditions of dim light, good ventilation, and suitable temperature, the shaggy mane mushroom produces mushrooms neatly, with high yield, large individuals, and white fruiting bodies. In the cold winter season, the outside world in the north is cold with a large day-night temperature difference, but sunlight is abundant. We make full use of this advantage by setting up small arched sheds on the mushroom beds and covering them with black film, using the principles of black film heat absorption and light shading. In the morning, open the straw curtains of the large shed to let sunlight enter the shed and raise the temperature, and in the afternoon cover the straw curtains. At night, when the temperature in the large shed drops to about 12°C, the temperature inside the small arched shed still remains at 16-20°C. This creates good temperature conditions for the normal growth of the shaggy mane mushroom. From December 2001 to January 2002, this method was first adopted in the Zhangye region of Gansu Province, enabling the shaggy mane mushroom to still produce normally when the outside air temperature reached about -26°C, and without using any fuel for heating, which both saved fuel costs and filled the gap in the off-season market. 12 Harvesting and flush transition management

① When the cap of the shaggy mane mushroom changes from round to elongated, the transverse diameter of the cap is slightly larger than the neck of the mushroom, and the cap still tightly wraps the stipe when touched by hand, this is the most suitable harvest period. It must be harvested promptly and must not be allowed to continue growing; otherwise, the cap will age and loosen, will not keep well in storage, not only making sales difficult and affecting income, but also consuming nutrients, affecting overall yield and delaying the time of the next flush, with more loss than gain. In low-temperature seasons, harvesting once a day is sufficient; in high-temperature seasons, it must be harvested 2-3 times.

② After the first flush is completely harvested, promptly clean away aged roots and dead mushrooms, rotten mushrooms, etc., fill depressions level with soil, and supplement with 1% lime water (pH 8) and nutrient solution (500-1000 mL/sq m nutrient solution). If the mushroom blocks in the bed are severely short of water, use the water injection method to supplement the bed's moisture. After replenishing sufficient nutrient solution and moisture, enter flush transition management. After 7-15 d, large numbers of fruiting bodies will grow again on the mushroom bed and high-yield ridges. With such management, 6-8 flushes of mushrooms can be harvested, and the mushroom production period can last as long as half a year.