Detailed explanation of the production process and technical operations at each stage for the nameko mushroom

Production process: ingredient mixing - sterilization - tray filling - cooling and inoculation - mycelial growth - summering - mushroom management - harvesting and processing - flush transition - insulation for fruiting.

1. Ingredient mixing: the most critical requirement for ingredient mixing is to mix raw materials of different compositions evenly, mix dry and wet materials evenly, so that the nutritional ratio of each tray of substrate is uniform, with a water content of 60%.

2. Sterilization: there are mainly two sterilization methods for nameko mushroom substrate: bag steaming and loose material steaming. The vast majority of growers in all areas of the county still follow these two methods, but each has its advantages and disadvantages, and attention should be paid when choosing. The advantage of bag steaming sterilization lies in its large one-time sterilization capacity, saving labor and time, with concentrated workload; the disadvantage lies in the higher requirements for bag steaming sterilization equipment, which must match the sterilization capacity. In production, one must never use a small horse to pull a big cart, that is, a large volume with a large one-time feed input, but the steam production capacity of the sterilization facility is very small. This wastes labor, time and fuel, and the sterilization effect is unsatisfactory, causing the material temperature to remain between 40 and 60°C for a long time, and the substrate is prone to bacterial reproduction and acid spoilage, causing contamination during tray filling and inoculation. It is necessary to build an earth steamer whose steam production capacity matches the sterilization scale, and leave gaps when loading bags to facilitate the flow of hot steam and achieve the sterilization effect.

3. Cooling and inoculation: after the material temperature has fully cooled, generally when the material temperature is below 20°C, inoculation can begin. With the increase in production years, more and more new mushroom areas have become old mushroom areas, and the amount of airborne contaminating microorganisms has increased substantially, so we advocate inoculating in an inoculation room, which can effectively increase the finished product rate. The inoculation room must be closed and clean. Move the cooled trays into the inoculation room, treat the spawn and inoculation tools with a 0.2 to 0.3% potassium permanganate aqueous solution, and fumigate and disinfect with an aerosol disinfection box at 4 to 6 grams per cubic meter, maintaining this for 3 hours, after which inoculation can proceed. Inoculation personnel should maintain personal hygiene in advance, wear clean and tidy clothes, and wash their hands with Lysol or 5% benzalkonium bromide. Inoculation personnel should be reasonably matched and divide the work cooperatively. The spawn should be broken into pieces the size of apricot kernels, and must not be rubbed, to prevent damage to the mycelium. The spawn should be spread evenly, tray filling should be rapid, and film sealing should be tight. Usually each bag can inoculate 10 to 12 trays, and the time should not be too long. If there are too many trays to inoculate at one time, fumigation can be repeated once in between to maintain the efficacy.

4. Stacking trays for mycelial growth: after inoculation, the trays should be stacked for mycelial growth, which helps the spawn blocks contact the substrate surface and colonize early. The mycelial growth period can usually be divided into three stages:

① Early mycelial growth stage: refers to the period from completion of inoculation to the mycelium covering the surface. This stage mainly maintains low-temperature mycelial growth, with the temperature usually controlled between 0 and 5°C, to prevent freezing injury. Turn the stacks once every 5 days; when turning, the trays inside and outside, top and bottom must be swapped to facilitate uniform mycelial growth. Cover the outside of the stacks with shading material to prevent direct sunlight from shining on the mushroom trays, otherwise local high temperatures are likely to occur.

② Mid mycelial growth stage: refers to the period from the mycelium covering the surface to the mycelium covering the whole tray. Usually about 15 days after inoculation, the mycelium can cover the surface. At this stage, close attention must be paid to the "mycelial burning" phenomenon caused by rising air temperature, heat produced by mycelial respiration, heat accumulation and excessively high temperatures. When maintaining the temperature below 10°C, handle trays gently to prevent film damage and contamination.

③ Late mycelial growth stage: refers to the period when the mycelium covers the entire cultivation layer. During this period, the outside air temperature has usually already risen, so ventilation in the shed should be strengthened to increase the oxygen content in the shed and satisfy the respiration intensity of the mycelium. After the mycelium has fully covered the entire substrate container, the surface mycelium begins to turn yellow and exude yellow liquid, gradually forming a waxy layer. The formation of the waxy layer is a normal physiological phenomenon. The waxy layer protects the internal mycelium and can effectively prevent insects, prevent disease and cope with harsh external environments. A reasonable waxy layer is usually orange-yellow, 0.5 to 0.8 mm thick, and is a sign of physiological maturity of the mycelium and a guarantee of high yield and good quality.

5. Summering management: with the impact of the atmospheric greenhouse effect in recent years, the earth is warming and temperatures are getting higher and higher. Effective measures should be taken to avoid high-temperature losses of the mushroom trays and to pass through the hot summer smoothly and safely.

① The site for building a five-shade shed requires high ground, ventilation, convenient water sources, and a spacious, non-enclosed area.

② For the shed frame construction, the space between the topmost layer and the shed roof should be increased, which helps hot air gather above, with most of the heat concentrated at the top layer, slowing the high temperatures formed by hot air from directly damaging the mushrooms in the middle and upper parts.

③ Thicken the shading material. Before summer arrives, the shading material inside and outside the shed and around its perimeter must be thickened to help insulate against heat. At the same time, stretch a shade net above the shed roof to block light and lower the temperature, which is also an effective cooling measure, but note that the shade net and the shed must be kept at a distance.

④ Spray water for cooling. In May, June and July, when the outside air temperature exceeds 35°C, deep well water can be sprayed onto the shed at noon, which can effectively lower the temperature.

⑤ Ventilate at the proper time, and reasonably utilize and regulate the relationship between ventilation and closure, which can also play a good cooling role.

6. Fruiting management:

After the long summer, autumn arrives, that is, the end of July in Pingquan: the temperature gradually becomes cooler, the mushroom trays have reached physiological maturity, and when the outside air temperature is below 20°C, the nameko mushroom has the internal and external conditions for fruiting and enters the fruiting management period:

Clean the mushroom shed. First, classify and clean the mushroom trays, remove contaminated trays, and classify by color, placing darker-colored ones together and lighter yellow ones together, which facilitates opening the film and scratching the mycelium. Second, thoroughly clean and tidy the mushroom shed once, removing all debris.

7. Harvesting and processing: current processing forms are mainly fresh sales, salting, quick freezing and dried products, and harvesting should be based on the different @#@136@#@ methods. When harvesting, the principle is not to lift up the substrate surface and to protect the substrate.

8. Flush transition management: after harvesting one flush of mushrooms, flush transition management begins. Flush transition is very important; improper measures will greatly reduce yield and affect benefits. For some farmers, low yield, only 0.5 to 1.0 kg, is an important reason for seriously affecting economic benefits.

First, when more than 80% of the trays in the shed have finished fruiting, flush transition management can begin. At this time, reduce water spraying, remove residual rotten mushrooms, and ventilate appropriately to lower surface humidity.

Second, raise the shed temperature to above 20°C, and keep the relative air humidity in the shed at 80 to 85%, to facilitate mycelial recovery, allowing the mycelium to rest and recover. After about 7 to 10 days, the mycelium has accumulated enough nutrients again, and then enters the second flush fruiting management. Temperature management and water management are as in the previous flush.

9. Insulation for fruiting: this technique was summarized by the edible fungi office from actual production and has been widely adopted as an effective measure. The key point of this technique is that when the air temperature in the shed is below 5°C, arrange the shading material on the shed roof and around the sides properly, thicken it appropriately, and make the shading material uniform in thickness, then wrap plastic around the outside of the fruiting shed to prevent wind and preserve heat. This measure can prolong the time of one flush of mushrooms and increase yield.