Detailed Technical Points for Cultivating Reishi Mushroom with Mulberry Branches

Mulberry is a woody plant, and mulberry branches are the largest by-product of sericulture production. The degree of lignification of mulberry branches is moderate, and besides being usable as a high-quality paper raw material, they are suitable for use as a culture medium for edible and medicinal mushrooms. Mulberry branches themselves are a commonly used traditional Chinese medicinal material. The medicinal mushroom reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) cultivated with mulberry branches - mulberry branch reishi - is better than reishi cultivated with mixed wood sawdust and log wood. After mulberry branch reishi came on the market, its price is more than 50% higher than ordinary reishi. The technical points for cultivating reishi with mulberry branches are introduced as follows:

1. Cultivation techniques

The artificial cultivation technical process for mulberry branch reishi is: mulberry branch collection - cutting into segments - crushing - mixing ingredients - bagging - sterilization - inoculation - cultivation management - harvesting reishi - sun-drying - packaging.

1. After mulberry branches are pruned, cut and crushed, they are packed in special plastic bags for edible mushrooms with specifications of 18 cm x 20 cm, sterilized by high-pressure steam, and then inoculated. Take a small piece of the purchased reishi cultivation spawn and inoculate it into the spawn bag, place it in a clean room for dark cultivation. In the early stage, the room temperature is 24-26°C, and in the later stage, the room temperature is 22-24°C. The indoor relative air humidity is 60%-70%, and air circulation is maintained. Cultivate for about 40 days, and after the mycelium grows fully, move it outdoors for soil burial.

2. Selection of cultivation site, building of a shed, and making of beds: Choose sandy loam soil with good drainage, ventilation and light transmission to build the site. Build an "A"-shaped shade shed, cover it with plastic sheeting, and add a shading net. It is best to have three parts sunlight and seven parts shade, and the light brightness should be uniform. The beds run east-west, with a bed width of 1.3 m, a length of 1.3 m, and a height of 30 cm, with walkways left between the beds. Soil disinfection is carried out in the beds.

3. Burying the spawn bags in soil: When a small number of primordia appear on the spawn bags and the air temperature rises above 15°C, tear open the plastic bags on the surface of the spawn strips, arrange them upright on the prepared beds with the inoculation surface facing up, with a spacing of 4-6 cm between spawn strips. The tops of the spawn bags should be level, fill the gaps between the spawn strips with fine soil, and cover the upper ends with about 2 cm of soil.

2. Management of reishi emergence

1. Regulating light: Reishi fruiting bodies have relatively high light requirements and strong phototropism. If the light is too strong or too weak, it will cause the caps to fuse together or become deformed. If it is too strong, it will also cause young fruiting bodies to wither; if it is too weak, it will cause the stipes to grow excessively. Uneven light, or two-way light irradiation in the morning and afternoon, will cause the fruiting bodies to tilt. Therefore, the light brightness inside the shed should be adjusted to the range of 400-600 lux candlelight, and the light source should be fixed.

2. Regulating temperature: Reishi is a fungus of the medium-to-high temperature type. Its growth temperature is 12.36°C, and the optimum temperature is 25-30°C. Below 20°C, close the shed door tightly and cover with plastic film to keep warm; above 30°C, open the shed door, uncover the surrounding plastic film, strengthen ventilation to cool down, and spray water on the shed roof to lower the temperature.

3. Regulating humidity: Reishi likes a moist environment. For artificially prepared culture medium, a water content of 60%-65% is better. The fruiting body can differentiate and produce reishi between 18-32°C, but differentiation is fastest and development is best at around 25°C. The optimum relative air humidity for growth is 80%-90%, and the soil humidity is around 50%. If the humidity is too high, use ventilation to reduce humidity and stop watering the beds; if the humidity is too low, spray into the air space to increase the relative air humidity inside the shed.

4. Improving ventilation conditions: Reishi is an aerobic fungus, and the fruiting body is extremely sensitive to carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide concentration in the air should be controlled below 0.03%. If it is too high, it will cause deformity. During the growth and development period of the fruiting body, the shed door should be opened regularly and the surrounding plastic film uncovered to improve ventilation conditions and reduce the carbon dioxide concentration.

5. In the cultivation of mulberry branch reishi, in order to reduce production costs, mulberry branches can be used for two purposes: one part as the culture medium for reishi, and the other part as fuel for sterilization.