Detailed Explanation of Key Points for Organic Cultivation of the Ferula Mushroom
Cultivation season: The optimal temperature range for the growth of Ferula mushroom mycelium is 5°C to 32°C, but it grows fastest at 25°C, and the best temperature for fruiting body growth is 8°C to 15°C. When cultivating the Ferula mushroom, spawn bags are generally made from September to October, and fruiting management is carried out from November to April of the following year.
Cultivation site and cultivation methods: Rural idle houses (which must be renovated) can be used as cultivation sites. If underground facilities (civil air defense tunnels, national defense projects, basements) are equipped with light sources and ventilation facilities, they can also be used as cultivation sites. The Ferula mushroom is mainly cultivated in plastic bags using sterilized substrate. In the cultivation site, the bags can be placed in a single layer on the ground, cultivated in wall-type stacks, or placed on multi-layer mushroom racks to improve the utilization rate per unit area of the mushroom house. Regardless of which arrangement is used for cultivating the Ferula mushroom, the surrounding environment must be clean, hygienic, free of pests, and free of contamination, and must also be fumigated with sulfur. The cultivation area must have good ventilation and fresh, dry air.
Cultivation materials: Agricultural and forestry by-products can be reasonably combined to prepare a culture substrate with comprehensive nutrition and good physical properties. Commonly used materials include cottonseed hulls, sawdust, sugarcane bagasse, wheat straw, rice straw, bran, etc., supplemented with minerals such as calcium carbonate and phosphate rock powder. These materials are all required to be fresh, free of mold, and free from moisture caking.
Culture medium formulas: 1. Mixed hardwood sawdust 78%, bran 20%, calcium carbonate 1%, phosphate rock powder 0.95%, yeast tablets 0.05%; 2. Cottonseed hulls 78%, bran 20%, calcium carbonate 1%, phosphate rock powder 0.95%, yeast tablets 0.05%; 3. Sugarcane bagasse 78%, bran 20%, calcium carbonate 1%, phosphate rock powder 0.95%, yeast tablets 0.05%.
Spawn bag production and mycelium cultivation: Low-pressure polyethylene plastic bags can be used for Ferula mushroom spawn bags, with specifications of 15 cm × 28 cm or 17 cm × 33 cm. For the bagging process, refer to the bagging method for organic cultivation of shiitake mushrooms. For sterilization, inoculation, and cultivation techniques, refer to the organic cultivation process for king oyster mushrooms.
Fruiting management: After the Ferula mushroom spawn bags are cultivated at about 25°C for 1 to 1.5 months, the mycelium can fully colonize the bags. When the mycelium has fully colonized the bags for about 7 days, fruiting management can begin. First place the spawn bags on mushroom beds that have been treated for sterilization and pest control, then use the following methods to induce fruiting: first, adjust the temperature to 12°C to 15°C; second, adjust the relative air humidity to 85% to 95%; third, adjust the light to 200 to 1,500 lux; fourth, ventilate daily to facilitate air convection and maintain sufficient fresh air in the cultivation space. Under suitable conditions of temperature, humidity, light, and air, primordia will soon grow inside the bags. When fruiting body primordia appear on the surface of the substrate in the spawn bags, remove the cotton plugs from the bags and take off the neck rings, and adjust the relative air humidity to about 95% to promote continued growth of the primordia. When the primordia grow to 2 cm in size, increase ventilation. When the relative air humidity is lowered to 80% to 90%, the temperature can be adjusted to 15°C to 18°C. Under these conditions, cultivate until the fruiting body caps gradually begin to flatten from an inward-curled state, then harvest. The Ferula mushroom is generally harvested only once, and after harvesting, the spawn bags should be removed promptly.