Detailed Guide to Bag-Cultivated Casing Soil Cultivation Technology for the Tiger Milk Mushroom

The tiger milk mushroom, also known as Poria-sided oyster mushroom and called South Seas Poria by the Japanese, is a mushroom used both as medicine and food. The tiger milk mushroom is mainly used medicinally for its sclerotium, and its fruiting body contains 16%-45% protein and is edible. The sclerotium contains glucose, fructose, galactose, maltose, cellobiose, palmitic acid, inositol, oleic acid, and others. Some countries and regions in Africa have a very early tradition of eating and using the tiger milk mushroom medicinally. They cut the fruiting bodies of the tiger milk mushroom into small pieces, or remove the outer skin of the sclerotium, boil it in salt water, then slice it or grind it into powder, add other seasonings, and cook it into soup to eat. In Nigerian folk medicine, the tiger milk mushroom is used to treat stomach pain, constipation, fever, colds, edema, chest pain, nervous system diseases, and conditions such as smallpox, asthma, and high blood pressure, and is also used to promote fetal development and increase the survival rate of premature infants. Countries in Southeast Asia also use the sclerotium of the tiger milk mushroom to treat dysentery. In China's Yunnan Province, there is also a folk tradition of using the sclerotium of the tiger milk mushroom as medicine, often for external treatment of mastitis in women. Tiger milk mushroom @#@136@#@ has promising market prospects.

I. Biological Characteristics

1. Ecological Habits. The tiger milk mushroom grows naturally in tropical and subtropical regions, and in summer and autumn it grows on the roots and buried wood of broadleaf trees. After the mycelium infects wood or tree stumps, it causes white rot of the wood and forms sclerotia underground, in the wood, or among tree roots. Producing areas are distributed in places such as Hainan and Jiangxi, and it also grows naturally in Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, as well as Cameroon, Nigeria, Uganda, Ghana, Guinea, Tanzania, Australia, and other countries.

3. Living Conditions. ① Nutrition: the tiger milk mushroom is a typical wood-rotting fungus and can use many broadleaf trees, coniferous trees, and the straw of various crops. The mycelium grows well on agar medium containing fructose, followed by mannose, then glucose; it can also use a variety of organic nitrogen sources, but its ability to use inorganic nitrogen is relatively poor. ② Temperature: the mycelium can grow at 15-40°C, with 28-35°C being the most suitable; it cannot grow above 40°C; at 15°C the mycelium grows slightly; below 10°C it does not grow; the most suitable temperature for mushroom formation is 14-25°C. ③ Moisture: mycelial growth is vigorous on culture medium with a water content of 60%-70%; below 60% growth is slow; above 70% it is sparse and weak. ④ pH: mycelial growth occurs at pH 6-7, with pH 6.5 being the most suitable. ⑤ Light: mycelial growth does not require light; fruiting body occurrence requires bright light; sclerotia can form in either dark or bright environments. ⑥ Air: it is an aerobic fungus, and fruiting body growth requires fresh air. When ventilation in the cultivation room is poor and the carbon dioxide concentration exceeds 0.1%, the fruiting bodies become deformed.

II. Bag-Cultivated Casing Soil Cultivation Technology

Artificial domestication and cultivation of the tiger milk mushroom began in 1993, and the Sanming Fungal Research Institute in Fujian achieved experimental success first. In 1998, the Biology Department of Fuzhou Normal College in Jiangxi successfully cultivated it after collecting wild specimens. In recent years, various places have introduced and developed production, with diverse cultivation methods.

1. Site Selection. The cultivation site can be indoors or outdoors, but wild greenhouses and simple straw sheds in a natural environment are more ideal. Because the tiger milk mushroom grows sclerotia underground, the cultivation site should be higher than for other mushrooms. The soil requires a fertile and loose humus layer, open surroundings, convenient water sources, smooth drainage and irrigation, and a clean environment. After deep plowing and sun-bleaching, the land is made into raised beds and disinfected. The shed should have good ventilation, bright light, and shade for heat dissipation, which is beneficial for the growth and development of fruiting bodies in summer.

2. Cultivation Season. The high-temperature season of summer and autumn is most suitable for mycelial growth and sclerotium formation. Cultivating in this season can reduce energy consumption, lower costs, and shorten the cultivation cycle. In northern low-temperature seasons, cultivation can also be carried out as long as appropriate heating is provided.

3. Cultivation Substrate Preparation. The tiger milk mushroom is a typical wood-rotting fungus. Common substrate formulas are: ① 45% cottonseed hulls, 35% mixed wood sawdust, 18% wheat bran, 1% sucrose, 1% calcium carbonate, with a material-to-water ratio of 1:1.1-1.3. ② 50% mixed wood sawdust, 20% soybean stalks, 10% cottonseed hulls, 18% wheat bran, 1% calcium carbonate, 1% sucrose. ③ 38% corncobs, 30% cottonseed hulls, 10% mixed wood sawdust, 20% wheat bran, 1% sucrose, 1% calcium carbonate. When preparing, first mix the dry materials evenly, dissolve the sucrose and calcium carbonate in water, then add and stir repeatedly, sieve to break up clumps, with a water content of 60% and pH 7.