Special Lecture on Cultivation and Management Techniques for Nameko Mushrooms

The Chinese name for the nameko mushroom is Pholiota microspora or Pholiota nameko. Nameko is its common name, given because its cap surface has a layer of slime, making it slippery when eaten and difficult to pick up with chopsticks. In some provinces it is called huazi mushroom. Nameko mushrooms are nutritious and delicious, and have an inhibitory effect on tumors.

Varieties and Spawn

Varieties: classified by fruiting temperature into: extremely early-maturing variety, fruiting temperature around 20°C, light brown in color. Early-maturing variety, fruiting temperature around 15°C, brown. Medium-maturing variety, fruiting temperature around 10°C, brown. Late-maturing variety, fruiting temperature below 10°C, dark brown or brown.

Spawn: For the production process of nameko spawn, refer to edible mushroom spawn production.

Note that during the culture of first-level spawn, to avoid the production of oidia, a wheat bran infusion medium should be used. Its composition is wheat bran (or rice bran) 50 g, dipotassium hydrogen phosphate 0.3 g, magnesium sulfate 0.2 g, glucose 50 g, peptone 5 g, yeast extract 2 g, agar 20 g, water 1000 ml.

Cultivation Techniques

(Using tray cultivation as an example) Medium formulas: ① sawdust 89%, wheat bran 10%, gypsum 1%. ② sawdust 49%, crop straw 40%, wheat bran 10%, gypsum 1%.

Box cultivation: ① Sterilization: Use the steam sterilization method, so that steam directly contacts the medium, achieving the purpose of cooking the medium and killing contaminating microorganisms in the medium. This sterilization method requires "sprinkle material when steam appears, sprinkle frequently and sparingly." This steam sterilization method is just like loading a steamer basket when making liquor: after the pot boils and steam rises, first sprinkle a thin layer, and afterward sprinkle material wherever steam comes out. To make the medium fully contact the steam, sprinkle frequently and sparingly. When the medium has been loaded to 80% of the pot's capacity, cover with burlap sacks, straw sacks, etc.