How can oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus pulmonarius) be grown on rice straw for high yields?
How can you grow oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus pulmonarius) on rice straw for high yields? Seeking answers. To grow oyster mushrooms on rice straw and achieve high yields, you can refer to the following methods. 1. Selection and disinfection of rice straw: Rice straw is the substrate for the growth of oyster mushrooms. The nutrients for the growth of oyster mushrooms mainly come from the cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin in the rice straw. The quality of disinfection is related not only to the physical and chemical properties of the substrate, but also to the contamination rate of competing microorganisms. Therefore, the selection and disinfection of rice straw are prerequisites for high and stable yields.
How can you grow oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus pulmonarius) on rice straw for high yields? Seeking answers.
To grow oyster mushrooms on rice straw and achieve high yields, you can refer to the following methods.
1. Selection and disinfection of rice straw:
Rice straw is the substrate for the growth of oyster mushrooms. The nutrients for the growth of oyster mushrooms mainly come from the cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin in the rice straw. The quality of disinfection is related not only to the physical and chemical properties of the substrate, but also to the contamination rate of competing microorganisms. Therefore, the selection and disinfection of rice straw are prerequisites for high and stable yields.
Rice straw of good quality is golden yellow, in strips, highly tough and rich in nutrients. This requires that during the rice harvest season, after the grain is threshed, the rice straw should be spread out to dry immediately, and stored in time after drying for later use. Rice straw that has been rained on, piled up and left to heat, and then dried again gives lower oyster mushroom yields. This is because such rice straw is often already infected by competing microorganisms, or because the pile has been left too long and undergone high-temperature fermentation, causing nutrient loss and affecting the yield of oyster mushrooms.
For the disinfection of rice straw, the concentration of limewater should be well controlled (use quicklime for the lime), keeping it at 5%. Too high a concentration will change the pH of the substrate and hinder the growth of oyster mushrooms. Too low a concentration will fail to achieve the purpose of disinfection. Either way will directly or indirectly reduce the yield.
2. Strictly control the suitable temperature:
The mycelium of oyster mushrooms can grow at 15-35°C, with 24-27°C being the optimum temperature range. Above 30°C the mycelium tends to age and the yield is not high. Below 20°C the mycelium grows slowly, prolonging the cultivation cycle. It may also be invaded by competing microorganisms, causing a reduction in yield.
For fruiting body formation, however, a lower temperature must be well controlled. Although the mycelium can knot together and form fruiting bodies between 8-25°C, 15-20°C is the most suitable. At this time the fruiting bodies grow well, the mushrooms are stout, and the quality and yield are high.
Therefore, a thermometer must be hung in the mushroom house for easy observation, so as to correctly control the suitable temperature and give the oyster mushrooms a good ecological environment. This is the guarantee of a high yield.
3. Inoculation and supplementing of the substrate for oyster mushrooms:
Inoculation should preferably be done by layered scattering (generally three layers of substrate and three layers of spawn), and the surface layer of the substrate must be inoculated, with a somewhat larger amount of spawn. In this way the spawn is evenly distributed in the substrate, making it easy to spread to all sides and laying the foundation for early mushroom production. Because the rice straw is cut into sections about 20 cm long, and the substrate is laid by the method of mixing it up.
Therefore, the straw just laid on the mushroom bed is relatively loose, with large gaps, which affects the spread of the mycelium. So after the substrate is laid and the spawn is inoculated, the surface of the substrate should be pressed with a wooden board for 3-5 days, so that the spawn and the rice straw are in close contact, which is beneficial for the spawn to colonize the substrate and for the mycelium to spread. A larger amount of spawn on the surface allows the mycelium to quickly cover the entire surface of the substrate, reducing the chance of contamination by competing microorganisms, and thus correspondingly increasing the yield.
Click to get more oyster mushroom cultivation techniques
Click to get more edible mushroom cultivation techniques