The Cultivation Methods and Growing Techniques of the Button Mushroom

The button mushroom, also known as the white mushroom or the cultivated mushroom, belongs to the order Agaricales, family Agaricaceae, genus Agaricus, and is an aerobic, straw-decaying fungus.

The cultivation history of the button mushroom in China is relatively short; Fujian Province is a major producer of button mushrooms, accounting for more than 50% of the national output. In northern China, especially in the Northeast, the button mushroom got off to a late start and production techniques are relatively poor, so there is considerable market space for developing button mushroom production.

I. Morphological Characteristics of the Button Mushroom

1. Morphological characteristics of the mycelium The mycelium is the vegetative body in which the button mushroom grows.

The life cycle of the button mushroom is of the single-spore-fertile type, with multi-nucleate mycelium producing mushrooms. The mycelium is formed by the germination of basidiospores; after primary mycelial growth, secondary mycelial growth and tertiary mycelial growth, and then physiological maturation of the mycelium, fruiting bodies are formed.

2. Morphological characteristics and differentiation and development of the fruiting body.

The fruiting body of the button mushroom has a typical cap, gills, stipe and annulus. When young, the fruiting body is hemispherical; as it gradually matures, the cap expands into an umbrella shape, 5-15 cm in diameter, white, pale yellow or gray, with a smooth, non-sticky surface. The flesh is white, and the gills are brown and free. The cap and stipe are both white; the stipe is cylindrical and thick at the base. The annulus is attached at the middle of the stipe, membranous and white.

II. Factors Affecting Fruiting Body Development

The button mushroom is composed of binucleate mycelium, and the nutrients it needs are transported to the fruiting body from the nutrients in the surrounding mycelium. It is generally believed that the differentiation and development of the button mushroom fruiting body depends entirely on cell expansion. The part of the stipe immediately beneath the cap is the fastest-growing region. The mechanism of fruiting body formation is related to the following factors:

1. Changes in temperature difference

When the temperature drops to 14°C-16°C, the mushroom mycelium shifts from vegetative growth to reproductive growth, and then forms fruiting bodies.

2. Changes in the ratio of carbon dioxide to oxygen

Only when the carbon dioxide content drops from 0.1%-0.5% to below 0.03%-0.01% can the formation of fruiting bodies be promoted.

3. Soil microorganisms

Hormones produced by certain soil microorganisms induce and promote the formation of fruiting bodies.

4. Mechanical stimulation

Under mechanical stimulation, both the mycelium and the fruiting bodies can grow faster, which helps increase yield.

III. Nutritional Sources for the Growth and Development of the Button Mushroom

The main nutrient sources of the button mushroom come from straw and manure. The straw can be rice straw, barley straw and other grass stems and leaves, and alfalfa stems, corn cobs, sugarcane bagasse, @#@245@#@ stalks, cottonseed hulls and so on can also be used. All the above materials are required to be fresh, without rot or mold. For many years, the straw used in button mushroom production has still been mainly rice straw and barley. Because China has great regional differences, all kinds of straw were wasted while the edible mushroom industry was booming, and numerous edible mushroom researchers and producers have researched and developed a variety of cultivation formulas, with the main materials changing in endless variety. The button mushroom is developing toward diversified cultivation. Henan Province has large amounts of cottonseed hulls, and a high-tech method for producing button mushrooms with cottonseed hulls has now been developed, with yields even higher than cultivation with rice straw. The technique of cultivating button mushrooms with corn stover has low cost, is convenient for obtaining materials, uses simple ingredients, and also has high biological efficiency. The Northeast has large amounts of corn stover and rice straw, and we can make good use of these materials and techniques to exchange low costs for high returns.

At present, the most urgent work is to introduce and select excellent button mushroom strains and cultivation methods according to the climate conditions and raw material resources of the Northeast, so that button mushroom cultivation can be widely developed in the Northeast and provide farmers with a new path to wealth.