Detailed explanation of year-round production technology for multiple mushroom species in one greenhouse
In 2001, our county began large-scale promotion of white beech mushroom production technology throughout the county. The white beech mushroom belongs to the medium-low temperature type of edible fungi, fruiting within the range of 5-20°C. Before fruiting, the white beech mushroom must undergo a low-temperature stimulation process, which determines that the fruiting period in our county is from late November to late March of the following year, causing the mushroom greenhouse to sit idle from April to November around summer, and the biological conversion rate of the white beech mushroom is also relatively low.
Starting from 2002, our county began experimental research on the single use of spent white beech mushroom substrate. From 2002 to 2003, our county promoted the technique of bed cultivation of shaggy mane mushroom (Coprinus comatus) using raw spent white beech mushroom substrate. This technique has relatively low production costs, but has problems such as large amounts of spawn required, serious contamination during cultivation, and low biological conversion rate. In order to overcome the drawbacks of the raw spent substrate bed cultivation technique for shaggy mane mushroom, starting from 2004, our county began development and promotion of the technique of sterilized spent white beech mushroom substrate with soil casing for shaggy mane mushroom cultivation, and achieved obvious economic, social and ecological benefits. In our county, each mushroom greenhouse was promoted for rotation cultivation of white beech mushroom and shaggy mane mushroom, using spent substrate from white beech mushroom cultivation to grow shaggy mane mushroom, changing the situation where a mushroom greenhouse only produced one season per year and most raw materials were used only once, and satisfying the market supply of fresh edible fungi around summer (April to November).
1. Cultivation time arrangement
In our county, white beech mushroom bags are made at the end of August and undergo mycelium running management. In October, the white beech mushroom bags are placed in the greenhouse, and from November to late March of the following year, fruiting management is carried out. From April to October, spent white beech mushroom substrate is used for shaggy mane mushroom cultivation.
2. Cultivation techniques
2.1 White beech mushroom cultivation techniques
The optimal mother culture medium formula for white beech mushroom is: cottonseed hulls 100 g, wheat bran 40 g, potato (peeled) 100 g, glucose 20 g, agar 20 g, peptone 3 g, monopotassium phosphate 1.5 g, magnesium sulfate 0.5 g, vitamin B1 20 mg, water 1000 mL, pH natural. Both stock culture and cultivation spawn use wheat grain medium, with the formula: wheat grain 99%, gypsum 1%, pH natural. The spawn production method follows conventional spawn-making procedures.
Production of cultivation bags. Cultivation bag substrate formula: cottonseed hulls 100 kg, wheat bran 10 kg, cornmeal 5 kg, quicklime 2 kg, gypsum 1 kg, mushroom growth stimulant 10 mL, moisture content 65%. The substrate must undergo pile fermentation treatment, using 16 cm x 33 cm x 0.05 mm high-pressure polyethylene plastic bags, with each bag containing 0.45 kg dry material, then subjected to atmospheric pressure sterilization (or high-pressure sterilization), cooled and inoculated.
Mycelium running management. After inoculation, the substrate bags are placed at 22-25°C for cultivation, with air relative humidity below 70%, in darkness or weak light for about 30 days, after which the mycelium can fill the entire bag and the mycelium running period ends.
Post-ripening cultivation. After the white beech mushroom mycelium fills the bag, it cannot fruit immediately; at this time the bags are soft and the mycelium is sparse. They must be cultured for another 30-40 days at 22-25°C and 70%-75% humidity, until the mycelium is dense and white and the bags are firm, thereby storing sufficient nutrients to reach physiological maturity. This process is mycelium post-ripening. Only after the mycelium matures can normal fruiting occur. During post-ripening cultivation, pay attention to the substrate moisture content, maintain moisture, do not open the bag openings, and provide some light stimulation in the later stage so the mycelium begins to knot.
Off-season cultivation of white beech mushroom. Through our experiments, storing white beech mushroom in cold storage at -5 to 5°C can advance fruiting by 35 days compared to normal conditions.
The best fruiting method for white beech mushroom is direct fruiting by opening both ends, considering the secondary use of spent white beech mushroom substrate, it is not suitable for buried soil casing or mud-wall fruiting.
2.2 Technique for producing shaggy mane mushroom from spent white beech mushroom substrate
Cultivated varieties. Commonly used varieties include Tebai 2004, Tebai 978, Tebai 33, etc.
Substrate preparation. Commonly used production formula: spent white beech mushroom substrate 90%, wheat bran 5%, lime 3%, gypsum 2%. The spent white beech mushroom substrate is removed from bags, crushed and sun-dried, all raw materials are mixed evenly, moisture content 60%-65%, and bagging can be done without pile fermentation.
Bagging and inoculation. Use 26 cm x 35 cm x 0.05 mm polyethylene bags, each bag containing 1 kg dry material. Sterilize the filled bags under atmospheric pressure for 8-12 hours, remove and cool to below 30°C, then inoculate at both ends. The spawn amount is preferably about 10% of the dry material weight.
Spawn cultivation. After inoculation, arrange the bags indoors or in a cool outdoor place. Before placing bags, scatter some lime powder on the ground. Handle bags gently when placing to avoid breakage. Arrange neatly, stack layer by layer, preferably 5-8 layers high. Pay attention to shading and ventilation for cooling, keeping the bag temperature at about 25°C to promote mycelium running. During mycelium running, turn the pile about every 7 days, and punch holes for oxygen supply while turning. Generally, after 20-25 days of inoculation, the mycelium can fill the bags.
Fruiting management. 1) Making beds. Loam soil is preferred. Bed width 80-100 cm, bed length unlimited, bed depth 30 cm, with 50 cm working paths between beds. 2) Soil casing. Stand the bags fully colonized with mycelium upright in the beds without removing the bags, straighten the bag openings, and directly cover with soil on the substrate surface. Choose loose soil for casing, add 2% quicklime powder, add water and mix until moisture content is about 20%, then spray the soil with 500x dichlorvos solution and 200x formaldehyde aqueous solution for disinfection, cover with plastic film and seal for 24 hours to kill insects and sterilize. Generally, casing thickness is 3-4 cm. 3) Fruiting management. After casing, control room temperature at 14-22°C, spray water on the ground and in the air to increase air relative humidity to 85%-90%, while strengthening ventilation and appropriately increasing scattered light to promote pinhead formation and fruiting. After pinheads form, the young shaggy mane mushrooms grow slowly, then grow faster later. When the fruiting body is 5-12 cm tall and the cap diameter is 1.5-3 cm, and when pinching the center of the cap gives a loose and hollow feeling, they can be harvested. After harvesting 2 flushes, turn the casing fruiting bags upside down and repeat the same casing method for fruiting. Generally, more than 4 flushes can be produced, and the biological conversion rate can reach 90%-120%.
3. Promotion and application situation and economic benefits
In 2005, our county took the Luannan County Agricultural High-Tech Demonstration Farm as the core demonstration area, radiating and driving key towns with large-scale edible fungus production such as Qingtuoying Town, Hugezhuang Town, and Bencheng Town in our county, promoting rotation cultivation of two varieties, white beech mushroom and shaggy mane mushroom, in each mushroom greenhouse. The actual promoted area was 25 hectares, with output reaching 2265 tons, output value of 18.3 million yuan, and net benefit reaching 10 million yuan. Using spent substrate from white beech mushroom cultivation to grow shaggy mane mushroom directly saved 900,000 yuan in production costs, with an average net benefit increase of 6,500 yuan per 667 sq m. It can be seen that the development and promotion of year-round production technology for multiple mushroom species in one greenhouse has obvious economic and social benefits. In terms of ecological benefits, the reuse of spent edible fungus substrate reduces environmental pollution, increases nutrient output, and accelerates the ecological cycle. By fully utilizing biological energy, the production capacity of the ecosystem is improved, making it truly an important industry in the green engineering that promotes ecological balance.