Key Cultivation Techniques and Planting Methods for Polyporus umbellatus Explained
Polyporus umbellatus, also known as wild boar food, wild boar dung, or wild boar fungus, is the sclerotium of the fungus Polyporus umbellatus in the family Polyporaceae. It is a traditional rare Chinese medicinal herb, sweet and bland in taste, neutral in nature, with effects such as promoting diuresis and draining dampness, relieving strangury and reducing swelling. It is used for difficult urination, edema, diarrhea, and similar conditions. Modern medical research has shown that Polyporus umbellatus mainly contains ergosterol, crude protein, soluble sugars, polysaccharides, and other compounds. Polyporus umbellatus polysaccharides also have certain anti-tumor and hepatitis-preventing effects. Many large and medium-sized pharmaceutical groups (factories) in China have used Polyporus umbellatus to develop a large number of new drugs, special drugs, and Chinese patent medicines, numbering over 500. Polyporus umbellatus is also an important export commodity for earning foreign exchange for China.
Cultivation Techniques
Site selection: Cultivate in primary broadleaf forests, mixed forests, or secondary forests, such as under birch, oak, maple, Mongolian oak, willow, and similar trees; do not plant in coniferous forests. Choose areas at an altitude of 1000-2000 m, with terrain preferably on shaded slopes or semi-shaded semi-sunny slopes, a slope of 15-45 degrees, and soil preferably with a humus layer more than 20 cm deep, slightly acidic soil with a water content of about 40%. Saline-alkali land and peat land are not suitable for cultivation.
Land preparation: After selecting the site, dig pits (also called cellars) along the slope, with a length of 70 cm, a width of 60 cm, a depth of 18-20 cm, and a spacing of 50 cm between pits.
Materials (calculated per square meter): 3 bottles of Polyporus umbellatus spawn, 3 bottles of Armillaria mellea spawn, fungal wood sticks with a diameter of 5-10 cm and a length of 50 cm, Polyporus umbellatus growth hormone, broadleaf tree leaves, and a mixture of leaves and humus soil.
Propagation Methods
Spread leaves 2-3 cm thick at the bottom of the pit, break the Armillaria mellea into small pieces of 1-2 cm and evenly sprinkle them on the leaves, then evenly sprinkle the Polyporus umbellatus growth hormone on the leaves, place the fungal wood (wood sticks) on the leaves covered with Armillaria mellea, with a spacing of about 3-5 cm between the fungal wood, fill the gaps between the fungal wood with the mixture, break the Polyporus umbellatus spawn into pieces of about 2 cm, evenly place them on both sides and the ends of the fungal wood, then cover with about 3 cm of leaves, cover the leaves with about 10 cm of humus soil, and then cover the top of the pit with leaves.
The key to cultivating Polyporus umbellatus with spawn lies in the quality of the Polyporus umbellatus spawn. High-quality Polyporus umbellatus spawn has thick and strong hyphae, a reticular mycorrhizal surface, strong hyphal sprouting ability, and a high success rate. When the ground temperature is above 15°C, the hyphae colonize 5 days after spot sowing, extend into the soil in a root-network form after 20-30 days, and begin to form white spherical young sclerotia in the leaves and soil layer after 60 days. When purchasing spawn, one should clearly distinguish good from bad and guard against counterfeits to avoid being deceived and suffering economic losses.
Polyporus umbellatus can germinate when the average ground temperature at a depth of 10 cm reaches 9.5°C, grows fastest at 18-22°C, grows slowly above 28°C, and stops growing below 9°C or above 30°C.
Harvesting and Processing
The maturity period when sown with pure Polyporus umbellatus spawn is about 3 years (5-6 years when cultivated by the old method). When Polyporus umbellatus is black in color and hard in texture (called old sclerotium), it can be harvested in spring from April to May or in autumn from July to September.
Remove impurities from the harvested Polyporus umbellatus sclerotia, scrub them clean, and dry them in the sun to obtain the commercial medicinal material. Put them into hemp bags or bamboo baskets and store them in a dry, ventilated place for sale. Polyporus umbellatus with a glossy black outer skin, heavy weight, firm texture, and a white or yellow cross-section is considered top grade.