Detailed Explanation of Key Techniques for Summer Cultivation of Golden Blessing Mushroom

Golden Blessing Mushroom (Tricholoma lobayense) is a large rare fungus of tropical regions. Its summer cultivation techniques are described below:

1. Choose the right production period. Golden Blessing Mushroom is a high-temperature type fungus; the mycelial growth temperature is 15-36°C, with 25-30°C being optimal: the fruiting body formation temperature is 15-33°C, with 23-28°C being optimal. In spring, inoculate in March-April when the temperature is not lower than 15°C; June-September is the peak growth period of Golden Blessing Mushroom.

2. Select raw materials. The cultivation raw materials for Golden Blessing Mushroom must be rich in cellulose, such as cottonseed hulls, cobs, rice straw, bagasse, etc. They must be free of rot and deterioration, and must not contain harmful substances or pesticides. Suitable formulas include: (1) cottonseed hulls 96%, gypsum powder 1%, lime 2%, superphosphate 1%; (2) corncobs 50%, cottonseed hulls 46%, gypsum powder 1%, lime 2%, superphosphate 1%: (3) rice straw 76%, cottonseed hulls 20%, lime 2%, gypsum 1%, superphosphate 1%.

3. Fermentation and sterilization. For summer cultivation of Golden Blessing Mushroom, fermented-material bed cultivation or bag cultivation is often used. When fermenting and sterilizing the substrate, note the following: (1) Treat different raw materials separately. Cut rice straw into small pieces 3-5 cm long, put them into a water tank, add quicklime and soak for 24-30 hours, then scoop them out to reduce alkalinity; process corncobs into pieces the size of soybean grains: keep cottonseed hulls in their natural state. (2) Build a pile for fermentation. Add lime, superphosphate, and gypsum powder to the main material, and add clear water at 110%-120%, stir evenly, then build a pile for fermentation for 10-15 days, and turn the pile 2-3 times. (3) Keep the moisture content of the substrate at 60%-65%, and the pH value at 7-8. (4) Put the treated substrate into 17 cm x 3 cm or 22 cm x 40 cm plastic bags, then carry out atmospheric-pressure sterilization, maintaining 100°C for 5-6 hours, then after stopping the fire, keep them sealed for 12-18 hours, and finally unload the bags and let them dissipate heat and cool.

4. Cultivate the spawn bags. When the material temperature inside the bag drops to about 25°C, inoculation can be carried out. Use the two-end inoculation method; each bottle of spawn can inoculate 30-40 bags. After inoculation, place the spawn bags in a clean, dry, light-proof cultivation room, stacked 4-5 layers high. When the spawn germinates and the mycelium grows to 1/2 of the bag, loosen the plastic film at the bag opening to allow oxygen to enter the bag; when the incubation temperature is below 15°C, provide heating. After 30-40 days of cultivation, once the mycelium has fully colonized the bag, it enters the physiological maturation stage.

5. Casing soil. For summer cultivation of Golden Blessing Mushroom, outdoor rack beds with bags placed on them and covered with casing soil are often used for mushroom production. The mushroom shed should face south with its back to the north, and 4-5 layers of rack beds should be built inside the shed. First lay a piece of woven cloth on the bottom of the bed, then spread a 2 cm thick layer of fine soil. In addition, the spawn bags should also be covered with soil; after the spawn bags are placed on the racks, open the bag openings, cover with 3-4 cm thick nutrient soil, then spray water, and cover with thatch or newspaper to retain moisture. After casing, 8-12 days later white mycelium climbs onto the soil surface; when the surface layer is fully covered with mycelium, remove the thatch or newspaper to reduce humidity, so as to promote the mycelium to lie down and induce primordium formation. When stimulating mushroom buds, control the relative air humidity in the shed at 85%-90% and the temperature at 20-25°C, and strengthen ventilation and air exchange, increase light, stimulate the differentiation of mycelium in the soil layer, and promote the knotting of primordia and differentiation into fruiting bodies.

6. Mushroom emergence management. Golden Blessing Mushroom generally requires 13-18 days from casing to mushroom emergence. The specific management is as follows: during the young mushroom stage, generally do not spray water; in dry weather, spray water in the form of mist into the air. When the mushroom bodies grow to 3 cm high, spray water 1-2 times a day, and keep the relative air humidity at 85%-90%. When the fruiting bodies enter the mature stage, stop spraying water to avoid mushroom rot. When the temperature in midsummer exceeds 30°C, add shade material, and irrigate water into the furrow ditches, or spray mist to lower the temperature.

7. Harvesting. From primordium formation to fruiting body maturity generally requires 12-15 days. Harvest when the mushroom stipe is thick and long, small at the top and large at the bottom, the cap is flat and spread out, and the surface is smooth. After harvesting, promptly clean up the residue on the bed, level the substrate surface, stop spraying water, rest and cultivate the mycelium for 5 days, then continue spraying water, and spray 1 application of nutrient solution to produce the next flush of mushrooms. Generally after 2 weeks, the 2nd flush of mushrooms can be produced, and a total of 4 flushes can be harvested.