How is white wood ear cultivated? Its market price can reach 100 yuan per jin

White wood ear is also called white fungus. Its appearance is white in color, crystal clear, and flawless like white jade. Its market price reaches about one hundred yuan per jin. White wood ear has strong resistance to contamination and high biological efficiency. It is twice the yield of black wood ear, and its cultivation benefits are high. So how is white wood ear, whose market price can reach 100 yuan/jin, cultivated?

I. Production formulas for white wood ear

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

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

3. Fine sawdust 50%, corncob 10%, wheat bran 27%, corn flour 10%, calcium carbonate 1.5%, lime 0.5%

4. Sawdust 65%, rice bran 30%, soybean powder 2%, gypsum 2%, lime 1%, sucrose 0.5%

II. Growth characteristics of white wood ear

1. Temperature: Temperature is an important factor affecting the growth and development speed and the intensity of life activities of white wood ear. White wood ear is a medium-to-high temperature type fungus. Its spore germination temperature ranges from 22 to 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. White wood ear mycelium tolerates high temperatures but not low temperatures. Long periods at low temperature can kill white wood ear mycelium, so the storage temperature for white wood ear is best kept above 8°C. White wood ear is a constant-temperature fruiting fungus. The temperature required by the fruiting body is lower than that of the mycelium. White wood ear mycelium can differentiate into fruiting bodies under conditions of 15 to 32°C, and the most suitable temperature for growth is 20 to 28°C. Above 38°C, it is inhibited. Slightly lower temperatures lead to slow growth and development and a long growth cycle, but the mycelium is robust. Within the suitable temperature range, the fruiting body is white in color and thick in flesh, which is favorable for obtaining high-yield and high-quality white wood ear; the higher the temperature, the faster the growth and development, the mycelium overgrows and is prone to aging, and the fruiting body is thin in flesh and poor in quality.

2. Water and humidity: Water is an important component of white wood ear, and it can also promote its metabolism and help it absorb nutrients. White wood ear requires water at all stages of growth and development. During the development period of the fruiting body, even more water is needed. The spores of white wood ear require water to germinate. On solid culture medium, germination takes a little longer. The water content of conventional culture medium can meet the water requirements for spore germination.

Most of the water needed for the growth and development of white wood ear comes from the culture material, and the water content of the culture material is an important factor for fruiting. During the colonization and spreading of the mycelium and the growth period of white wood ear, the water content of the culture material should be 60% to 70%. Too little water affects the absorption and utilization of nutrients by the mycelium and reduces its vitality; too much water leads to poor air permeability, and insufficient oxygen inhibits the growth and development of the mycelium and may even cause it to suffocate and die. The fruiting body formation stage has stricter humidity requirements. In addition to requiring a water content of 70% in the culture medium, it also requires the relative air humidity to remain at 90% to 95%. This can promote rapid growth of the fruiting body and produce large, thick-fleshed ears. Below 80%, fruiting body formation is slow or even difficult.

3. Light: White wood ear has different light requirements at each developmental stage. The mycelium can grow normally in dark or scattered-light environments. Light has a triggering effect on the transition of white wood ear from vegetative growth to reproductive growth, which may be related to the photoinduction or activation of enzyme systems involved in the physiological transformation of fungi. In a dark environment, it is very difficult for white wood ear to form fruiting bodies. Only with a certain amount of scattered light can robust fruiting bodies grow. However, white wood ear does not like direct light, and direct light easily affects its quality.

4. Air: White wood ear is an aerobic fungus. Its respiration absorbs oxygen and releases carbon dioxide. When carbon dioxide in the air exceeds 1%, it will hinder mycelial growth, and the fruiting body becomes deformed into a coral shape and often does not open into a sheet; when it exceeds 5%, it will cause poisoning and death of the fruiting body. Therefore, throughout the entire growth and development process of white wood ear, the cultivation site should maintain fresh air circulation. When making spawn, the water content of the culture material must not be too high, and the bottles must not be filled too full, so as to supply the necessary oxygen to the mycelium. In addition, fresh air circulation can also avoid rotten ears and reduce the breeding of pests and diseases.

5. pH: White 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.

III. Cultivation process of white wood ear

Bag filling — sterilization — inoculation — mycelial growth — bag opening (punching holes) — bag arrangement — ear growth — harvesting — fresh sales — drying — selling.

The above is an introduction to the knowledge of white wood ear cultivation methods. White wood ear is a constant-temperature fruiting fungus. Temperature is an important factor affecting the production and development speed and the intensity of life activities of white wood ear. The lower the temperature, the slower its growth and development, and white wood ear can achieve high yield and also very high quality.