A Detailed Explanation of Common Edible Mushroom Diseases and Control Measures

There are many kinds of edible mushrooms, each with a different texture and a somewhat different flavor, and the protein they contain is superior to ordinary vegetables in both content and quality. In recent years, artificial cultivation of edible mushrooms has increased, but a slight mishandling can easily lead to disease invasion. So what diseases affect edible mushrooms? What are the control measures?

I. What diseases affect edible mushrooms?

1. Mucor

Mucor belongs to the subdivision Zygomycotina. When growing on potato sucrose agar medium, its grayish-white to grayish-black aerial hyphae grow luxuriantly and can rise 2 to 4 cm above the medium. This fungus lives on various organic substances, and the spores it forms float in the air after maturing; after settling onto the surface of organic substances, they can germinate and grow hyphae as long as the temperature and humidity are suitable. Under conditions of higher temperature and greater humidity, its growth speed [increases].

2. Penicillium

During the cultivation process, Penicillium not only contaminates the substrate in the early stage, but can also infect the fruiting bodies during their growth stage, causing disease in the fruiting bodies.

There are many species of Penicillium, with strong adaptability and a wide distribution range, and they form large numbers of conidia, so they are prone to contaminating [mushroom] cultures during cultivation. During the cultivation of shiitake mushrooms, if contaminated by Penicillium, [the mold] is white at first and turns light green after 1 to 2 days; this fungus is likely to appear in poorly ventilated and slightly acidic environments.

3. Aspergillus flavus

Aspergillus flavus colonies are yellow-green, with no colored zone, and the colony diameter is slightly larger, reaching about 5 cm. Its conidiophores grow upright after emerging from the substrate, reaching a height of 1 mm to 3 mm; the top of the stalk swells to form a conidial head, with short club-shaped conidiophores densely arranged radially on the surface, and conidia borne in chains at the top of the stalk; after floating in the air and settling onto organic matter, they can germinate and grow.

II. What are the control measures for edible mushroom diseases?

1. Select excellent varieties and high-quality spawn. Choose excellent varieties suited to local cultivation conditions and with strong resistance to diseases and pests.

2. Select pure spawn of suitable age and vigorous vitality, so as to ensure fast recovery and fast colonization after inoculation, and increased resistance to diseases and pests.

3. Select high-quality raw materials. Use fresh, dry raw materials free of mold and insect damage. In selecting and preparing the substrate, fully consider the growth and development needs of the cultivated variety, thereby suppressing contaminating microorganisms and improving disease resistance. At the same time, store and keep the substrate well to prevent it from being rained on, which would cause mold and deterioration.

4. Do a good job of environmental sanitation at the cultivation site. The mushroom house should be far from livestock farms, garbage dumps, and manure pits, and should be close to a water source, ventilated, and sunny, with insect-proof nets installed on doors, windows, and vents. Before growing mushrooms, thoroughly clean and disinfect the inside and outside of the mushroom house once. Waste material from production should be transported to a place far from the mushroom house, and the production site should be kept free of debris, sewage, and waste material.

5. Strictly follow the operating procedures. During production, operators must strictly follow the operating procedures of cultivation, especially the inoculation process; the production site, inoculation tools, spawn and substrate packaging, and inoculation personnel must all be carefully disinfected to ensure operation under sterile conditions, and inoculation must be fast and efficient.

6. Create the optimal conditions for growth and development. In cultivation management, scientific management should be carried out for temperature, humidity, light, pH, nutritional components, and aeration conditions according to the requirements of each variety for its growth and development conditions, so that the entire environmental condition is suitable for the growth and development of that variety, thereby reducing the breeding of diseases, pests, and contaminating microorganisms.