How to grow Poria (Wolfiporia cocos) for high yields? A detailed guide to high-yield Poria cultivation techniques
Poria, also known as Yunling, Songfuling, Chifuling, Baifuling, Songshu and so on. Its sclerotium is used medicinally and has effects such as promoting diuresis and draining dampness, strengthening the spleen and harmonising the middle, and calming the heart and soothing the spirit. Clinically it mainly treats phlegm with oedema, difficult urination, diarrhoea, palpitations, dizziness and other conditions. The main producing areas include Anhui, Fujian, Hebei, Hubei, Guangxi, Yunnan, Sichuan and other provinces and regions.
Morphological characteristics: It belongs to the family Polyporaceae, genus Wolfiporia. Poria shows 3 different morphological characteristics at different developmental stages, namely mycelium, sclerotium and fruiting body.
1. Mycelium includes two types: monokaryotic and dikaryotic mycelium. Monokaryotic mycelium, also called primary mycelium, is formed by the germination of Poria spores and exists only in the early stage of germination. Dikaryotic mycelium, also called secondary mycelium, is the main form of mycelium and is formed when 2 monokaryotic mycelia of different sexes meet and undergo plasmogamy. The mycelium appears white and downy, with a distinctive colony of multiple concentric rings. Under a microscope, the mycelium can be seen to be composed of many branched hyphae, and the hyphae are divided by septa into linear cells about 2-5 micrometres wide, with clamp connections commonly seen at the tips.
2. The sclerotium is a dormant body formed by a large amount of mycelium and nutrients densely gathered together. It is spherical, ellipsoidal, flattened spherical or irregularly block-shaped; the small ones weigh several liang, while the large ones weigh several jin or dozens of jin; when fresh it is soft and easy to break open, and after drying it is hard and difficult to break open. The outer layer of the sclerotium is crust-like, with a rough surface and tumour-like shrinkage, light brown or brown when fresh, turning dark brown after drying; inside the crust it is white and light brown. Under a microscope, the hyphae in the white part of the sclerotium mostly appear lotus-root-joint-shaped or as mutually compressed masses. Near the crust are relatively slender, densely arranged light brown hyphae.
3. The fruiting body usually forms on the surface of the sclerotium, and occasionally on older mycelium. It is honeycomb-like, varying in size, sessile and flat-lying, about 0.3-1 cm thick. It is white at first and becomes lignified and light yellow when old. The hymenium is borne on the inner wall surface of the pores and is composed of numerous basidia. Each mature basidium produces 4 spores (i.e. basidiospores). Poria spores are greyish white, long ellipsoidal or nearly cylindrical, with one crooked tip, 6×2.5-11×3.5 micrometres.
I. Growth habits: Poria is an aerobic fungus and prefers a warm, humid, sunny, well-ventilated and air-permeable environment. The suitable temperature for mycelial growth is 25~30°C. The suitable temperature for fruiting body growth is 24~26°C. The relative air humidity is 70~85%. As for soil requirements, deep, loose and fertile sandy loam is best. Heavy clay and saline-alkaline land are not suitable for planting.
II. Spawn production
1. Mother culture production. Medium formula: potato 250 g (peeled), sucrose 50 g, agar 20 g, urea 3 g, water 1000 ml. Prepare the above formula into test-tube slant medium by conventional methods. Under sterile conditions, use the tissue isolation method. Insert a piece of white Poria flesh from inside the sclerotium onto the slant medium. Transfer to a room at 25~30°C and culture for 5~7 days until the mycelium covers the slant, thus obtaining pure spawn.
2. Stock culture production. The stock culture medium formula is: pine wood blocks 55%, pine sawdust 20%, bran (or wheat bran) 20%, sucrose 4%, gypsum powder 1%, with an appropriate amount of water. After mixing the culture materials in the formula evenly, fill them into 500 ml wide-mouth bottles. The filling amount is four-fifths of the bottle. Press lightly and make a ventilation hole in the centre. Seal with a cotton plug and then sterilise. When cooled to 30°C, under sterile conditions, inoculate the mother culture onto the medium in the bottle. After sealing, culture until the mycelium fills the whole bottle, thus obtaining the stock culture.
3. Cultivation spawn production. Culture material formula: pine wood blocks 66%, pine sawdust 10%, bran 21%, sucrose 3%, gypsum powder 1%, urea 0.4%, superphosphate 1%, with an appropriate amount of water. Mix the above ingredients evenly; the temperature is correct when water appears between the fingers but does not drip when the material is grasped by hand. Then fill into 500 ml wide-mouth bottles, seal with kraft paper, and sterilise. When the temperature of the material bottles drops to 60°C, under sterile conditions, distribute the stock culture into the ingredients. After inoculation, move the culture material bottles to the culture room and culture until the mycelium fills the whole bottle, thus obtaining the cultivation spawn.
Generally, 1 tube of mother culture can inoculate 5~8 bottles of stock culture. 1 bottle of stock culture can inoculate 60~80 bottles of cultivation spawn. 1 bottle of cultivation spawn can plant 2~3 pits of Poria.
III. Material preparation and pit digging
Pine wood is mainly used for cultivating Poria. Material preparation is generally carried out from the 10th to the 12th lunar month. After felling the pine trees, remove the branches, peel off the outer bark and expose the xylem. Carry out drying treatment. After half a month, cut into 80 cm wood sections and stack them into a hollow ""-shaped frame. After about 40 days, inoculation can be carried out. Before inoculation, choose woodland (or virgin wasteland) with deep soil, loose and fertile soil and good drainage, and dig pits 80 cm long, 45 cm wide and 30 cm deep. Dig drainage ditches around them and wait for planting.
IV. Planting: From late March to early April, choose a sunny day and place the wood sections into the pits. Put 15~20 kg in each pit. Then take out the pine wood spawn blocks from the cultivation spawn with tweezers and place them on the gaps between the wood sections. Place 3~6 spawn blocks in each gap. Cover the spawn blocks with pine bark. Immediately cover with 10 cm of soil, and shape the pit top into a turtle-back form to facilitate drainage. When inoculating, fresh Poria can also be cut into 3 cm thick flesh pieces and attached to the wood sections.
V. Management: After Poria inoculation, trampling by people and livestock must be strictly prohibited. Check the mycelial growth after 7~10 days. If inoculation failure is found, replant immediately. At the same time, pay attention to watering to preserve soil moisture, and drain promptly in cloudy weather. If weeds appear, remove them immediately. The main disease of Poria is rot disease; for prevention and control, disinfect the Poria pits with lime (or other fungicides) before cultivation. If pathogens are found during the growth period, harvest early. The main pest is the black-winged termite, which can be controlled with a medicinal powder made of 60% arsenious acid and 40% talc powder.
VI. Harvesting and processing: Poria is generally harvested 1 year after planting. Remove impurities from the harvested fresh Poria, place it on a foot stand, and turn it frequently to let it sweat. When white mycelium grows on the surface of the Poria, take it out and brush it clean. When the surface shrinks and turns brown, place it in a cool, dry place to dry in the shade, thus obtaining "individual Poria". Peel off the Poria skin with a knife; this is called Poria skin. Cut the Poria into slices; the reddish part under the skin is called red Poria. The white, fine and firm part inside the sclerotium is white Poria. White Poria has a woody core in the centre called Poria spirit.