A Complete Guide to the Key Points of Jade Wood Ear Cultivation Techniques

Jade wood ear, also known as white jade wood ear, is a new edible fungus variety bred by the team of Academician Li Yu at Jilin Agricultural University. It has high nutritional value and is a precious edible fungus. So what are the jade wood ear cultivation techniques?

1. Formula

Prepare some sawdust, rice husk powder, soybean powder, gypsum, lime, etc. and mix them in different ratios to make the substrate. Common formulas are as follows:

1. Sawdust 66%, rice husk powder 15%, fine rice bran 15%, soybean powder 2%, gypsum 1%, lime 0.5%, sucrose 0.5%.

2. Sawdust 80%, rice bran 15%, soybean powder 2%, corn flour 2%, gypsum 1%

3. Sawdust 77%, wheat bran 20%, soybean meal 2%, lime 0.5%, gypsum 0.5%

2. Temperature requirements

The spore germination temperature of jade wood ear is between 22 and 32°C, with 30°C being the most suitable. The mycelium can grow between 8 and 36°C, but 22 to 32°C is suitable; below 8°C and above 38°C it is inhibited. Jade wood ear mycelium can tolerate high temperatures but not low temperatures. Prolonged low temperatures can kill jade wood ear mycelium, so the storage temperature for jade wood ear is best kept above 8°C.

3. Moisture

The water content of the jade wood ear culture substrate should be 60% to 70%. If there is too little water, it affects the mycelium's absorption and use of nutrients, and its vitality decreases; if there is too much water, it leads to poor air permeability and insufficient oxygen, which inhibits the growth and development of the mycelium and may even cause it to suffocate and die.

4. Temperature requirements

During the fruiting body formation stage, jade wood ear has strict humidity requirements. In addition to the culture medium requiring a water content of 70%, the relative air humidity should also be kept at 90% to 95%. This can promote rapid growth of the fruiting bodies, with large ears and thick flesh. Below 80%, fruiting body formation is slow, and fruiting bodies may even be difficult to form.

5. Light

Jade wood ear has different light requirements at each developmental stage. In a dark environment or one with scattered light, the mycelium can grow normally. Light has a triggering effect on jade wood ear's transition from vegetative growth to reproductive growth, which may be related to light induction or activation of the enzyme systems involved in the physiological transformation of fungi.

6. Air

Throughout the entire growth and development process of jade wood ear, the cultivation site should maintain fresh air circulation. When making spawn, the water content of the culture substrate must not be too high, and the bottles must not be filled too full, so as to provide the mycelium with the necessary oxygen. In addition, fresh air circulation can also prevent ear rot and reduce the breeding of diseases and pests.

7. pH

Jade wood ear is suitable for living in a slightly acidic environment. The mycelium can grow normally within the pH range of 4 to 7, with pH 5 to 6.5 being the most suitable.

Overall, to cultivate jade wood ear well, you need to prepare the substrate properly and control the basic requirements such as humidity, temperature, and light.