Detailed Explanation of High-Quality and High-Yield Cultivation Techniques for the Tea Tree Mushroom

The tea tree mushroom (Agrocybe aegerita) has a thick and fleshy fruiting body, a crisp and tender stipe that is delicious, and is rich in nutrients. It contains the eight essential amino acids required by the human body, among which lysine, arginine, and glutamic acid are present in relatively high amounts, and it also possesses certain medicinal value. For its high-yield cultivation, the following key techniques should be mastered.

Selecting excellent spawn: excellent spawn has white, dense, thick, vigorous, and uniformly consistent mycelium. Any spawn showing yellow, green, black, orange-red, or other colors is contaminated by foreign molds, and such spawn should not be used.

Selecting the optimal cultivation period: the suitable temperature for fruiting of the tea tree mushroom is 16°C to 30°C. Generally, inoculation is carried out in March, and growers in different regions may also choose a suitable time for cultivation according to local climatic conditions.

Formulating the raw materials: the formula for producing tea tree mushroom cultivation substrate is: 50% cottonseed hulls, 26% sawdust, 15% wheat bran, 5% cornmeal, 2% gypsum, 1% phosphate fertilizer, 1% lime. You may also add 1-3% tea seed cake or tea seed hulls to the formula, which can improve the aroma of the tea tree mushroom. After choosing the formula, pay attention to the following three points when mixing the ingredients: First, cottonseed hulls, wheat bran, etc. must be fresh; if moldy or caked into lumps, they cannot be used. Sawdust from broadleaf trees that has been piled for more than half a year and is loose in texture is preferable. Second, mix the ingredients evenly, achieving the "three uniformities" (uniform substrate, uniform water, uniform pH). Third, after mixing, check the water content of the cultivation substrate to bring it to 60%-65%;

Bag cultivation requirements: generally, 15 cm x 30 cm or 17 cm x 33 cm polypropylene plastic bags are used for cultivation, with 0.3-0.35 kg of dry material per bag. After filling the material into the bag, put on a collar ring and cover it with a sponge cap.

Thorough sterilization: sterilization of the cultivation substrate is divided into two types: atmospheric pressure sterilization and autoclave sterilization. Atmospheric pressure sterilization is maintained at 100°C for 14 hours; high-pressure sterilization is maintained at a pressure of 1.5 kg/sq cm for 2 hours. Disinfection and sterilization must be thorough; otherwise, contamination by foreign molds will be severe, causing reduced yield or even total crop failure.

Inoculation and cultivation: after the cultivation substrate has been sterilized, inoculation can be carried out only after the substrate temperature drops to about 30°C. Inoculation should be performed inside an inoculation box. When inoculating, the following points should be observed: First, after the cultivation substrate is placed into the inoculation box, fumigate with formaldehyde and potassium permanganate to disinfect the space. The dosage is 10 mL of formaldehyde and 7 g of potassium permanganate per cubic meter of space, mixed and fumigated in a sealed condition for 30 minutes before inoculation. Second, the hands of the inoculator and the inoculation tools must be wiped with 75% alcohol. Inoculation should be carried out above the flame of an alcohol lamp, and the movements should be quick. Third, appropriately increase the inoculation amount during inoculation, which is beneficial for the germination of mycelium. Cultivation is carried out indoors. The cultivation substrate can be arranged in two ways: single-layer upright placement and wall-style stacking. After arrangement, it is best to sprinkle some lime powder around the opening to reduce contamination. The cultivation room should be ventilated, maintained at 23°C-28°C, and preferably shaded from light. After 50-60 days of cultivation, the mycelium can grow to the bottom of the bag.

Fruiting management: when the mycelium has fully colonized the bag, remove the collar ring, straighten the bag opening, and dig out the old mycelial block. The fruiting site can be indoors or an outdoor shade shed. The mushroom bags at the fruiting site can also be stacked in wall style or placed upright in a single layer. After arrangement, maintain a certain amount of scattered light and spray water 1-2 times a day so that the air humidity reaches 86%-95%. Water spraying should depend on the weather: spray more on sunny days, less on cloudy days, and no spraying on rainy days. At the same time, pay attention to ventilation and air exchange to avoid producing deformed mushrooms.

Timely harvesting: after 15-20 days of management, the fruiting bodies can be harvested when they reach about 80% maturity. When harvesting, in order to give the tea tree mushroom a good shape and high commercial value, it is best to harvest once in the morning and once in the afternoon. After harvesting, let the mushroom bags rest without water to recuperate the mycelium for 5-10 days, then continue water spraying management, and after a short while the second batch of mushrooms will appear. Generally, 3-4 batches of mushrooms can be harvested.