How to Grow Hypsizygus marmoreus? Latest Cultivation Techniques and Methods Tutorial
Hypsizygus marmoreus is also known as jade mushroom, spotted jade mushroom, shimeji mushroom, etc. It is an edible fungus of the family Tricholomataceae and the genus Hypsizygus, with a crisp and tender texture, a fresh and savory flavor, and a sea crab taste, and its fruiting bodies are medium to large. Today, two strains are cultivated: light gray and pure white. The white strain is also called “white jade mushroom” and “jade dragon mushroom”, and is mostly cultivated industrially. Now let us take a look at the cultivation techniques for Hypsizygus marmoreus!
Temperature conditions
Hypsizygus marmoreus is a medium to low temperature type edible mushroom. Under natural conditions, it mostly appears in late autumn and early spring. The mycelium growth temperature is 5-30°C, with the optimum at 20-25°C. When it exceeds 35°C or falls below 4°C, the mycelium stops growing, and above 45°C it cannot survive. Primordium formation requires stimulation by a lower temperature of 10-16°C, and the ideal fruiting body growth temperature is 13-18°C.
Humidity conditions
The water content of the Hypsizygus marmoreus substrate is best at 65%. Before fruiting, the cultivation bags should be properly replenished with water so that the water content of the substrate reaches 70-75%, which is needed to satisfy the growth of Hypsizygus marmoreus. During the mushroom bud differentiation stage, the relative humidity of the mushroom house should be adjusted to 90-95%. During the fruiting body growth stage, the relative humidity of the mushroom house should be adjusted to 85-90%. If the relative humidity is higher than 95% for a long time, the fruiting bodies tend to develop yellow spots and a soft texture.
Light conditions
The mycelium growth stage of Hypsizygus marmoreus requires no light. Direct light not only inhibits growth but also darkens the color of the mycelium. However, during the reproductive stage, a certain amount of weak light is needed to promote the normal development of primordia. Light has a certain correlation with the number of primordia produced. Darkness inhibits the differentiation of the mushroom cap and produces deformed mushrooms. In darkness, Hypsizygus marmoreus tends to whiten, resulting in poor product texture. The fruiting bodies show obvious phototropism during growth. During the fruiting stage, light should ideally be controlled at 200-1000 lx.
Air conditions
Hypsizygus marmoreus is a moderately aerobic fungus. The mycelium is not sensitive to air, but in an airless environment, as the respiration time lengthens and the carbon dioxide concentration rises, the mycelium growth rate will also slow down. During fruiting body development, it is relatively sensitive to CO2, and mushroom bud differentiation in particular is very sensitive to carbon dioxide concentration. During mushroom bud differentiation, the carbon dioxide concentration in the mushroom house is required to be 0.05-0.1%. When the fruiting bodies grow larger, the carbon dioxide concentration in the mushroom house is required to be 0.2-0.4%. In actual practice, the carbon dioxide concentration is often raised to an appropriate level by reducing ventilation, and closing windows and covering with film is used to intermittently delay cap opening, promote long stems, improve quality and increase mushroom yield. However, if the carbon dioxide concentration in the mushroom house is higher than 0.4% for a long time, the fruiting bodies tend to become deformed.
pH
Hypsizygus marmoreus mycelium is not strict about pH within a certain range (pH 5.0-8.0). The mycelium can grow at pH 4.0-8.5. Different strains have somewhat different pH requirements. During the mycelium growth stage, pH 6.5-7.5 is preferable, so in actual practice the medium can be around pH 8.0.
Nutritional conditions
Hypsizygus marmoreus is a low temperature type grass-inhabiting fungus or wood-rotting white rot fungus, with a strong ability to decompose lignin. Its main nutritional substrates in nature include broadleaf trees such as beech and horse chestnut. Due to improved cultivation techniques, it can also be cultivated using only sawdust from Japanese cedar, pine, and the like. When cultivating Hypsizygus marmoreus with coniferous tree sawdust alone, attention should be paid to the degree of sawdust composting and fermentation and the distribution of sawdust particle size, as well as the type and amount of supplements (nutrients).
That is all for the introduction to the cultivation conditions of Hypsizygus marmoreus. Next, let us continue to look at the cultivation techniques for Hypsizygus marmoreus!