How to prevent deformed mushrooms in off-season shiitake cultivation

In off-season cultivation of shiitake (Lentinula edodes), deformed mushrooms often occur because production conditions are not properly regulated, which affects the commercial quality of the mushrooms and greatly reduces production returns. The main manifestations of deformed mushrooms and their control measures are as follows:

1. Small and thin caps: the caps are both thin and small, and even with a longer mushroom age they cannot grow large, and when eaten fresh they lack the special aroma of shiitake; the causes are, first, that color change was not completed, and fruiting was carried out when the bags were flower-patterned or white; second, that the substrate nutrients were obviously insufficient; third, that the growing temperature was too high. Control methods: for bags that have not undergone color change, conditions must be regulated to carry out color change; if the substrate nutrients are insufficient, they can be appropriately supplemented when soaking the bags, and the method of "fertilizing on the mushroom surface" can also be adopted, for example spraying edible mushroom three-dimensional nutrient essence, which can effectively thicken the caps; in summer when temperatures are relatively high, effective cooling measures should be taken, such as spraying water on the walls of the mushroom shed.

2. Lampshade-shaped caps: the caps take on a pointed lampshade shape and are obviously thinner, and commercial quality drops severely. The main causes are the same as above, and control can refer to the above methods.

3. Wavy caps: the cap edges take on a relatively regular wavy shape, and are also obviously thinner and more brittle. The occurrence of the wavy shape is mainly because during the young mushroom development stage they received a relatively large temperature difference, while humidity changes in the environment were also very large, especially when large amounts of water were sprayed directly on the caps, causing abnormal development of the cap tissue. The control method is that after mushroom buds appear, relatively stable temperature and humidity should be maintained, especially in off-season cultivation in summer, when the temperature of the mushroom shed is often the basic condition determining whether the fruiting bodies can develop normally.

4. Irregular caps: the specific manifestation is that the caps are either narrow and long or triangular, etc., with lack of roundness being their main feature. The main cause is that during the young bud stage the plastic film was not cut open in time, so the caps directly pressed against the plastic film and received a certain amount of friction, or relatively many mushroom buds appeared and thinning was not carried out in time, so that by the young bud stage, after cap differentiation they were squeezed together; as long as the cap is squeezed when young, it will never grow round and regular again. Control: cut the film in time and carry out bud thinning, generally selecting only 1-2 young buds, and do not allow too many.

5. Hollow stipes: the stipes are slender and hollow, causing the caps to also be very small, mainly caused by too low moisture content of the substrate and too low spatial humidity. Control measures: after each harvest flush, bag soaking should be carried out, generally soaking for 24 hours can restore them to their original weight; keep the air humidity in the mushroom shed above 85%.

6. Stipes growing out from cracks: when the moisture content of the mushroom bag is too low, the substrate cracks, and after narrow long cracks form, fruiting bodies can grow out from the cracks; some do not even fully emerge, and the caps grow large inside the cracks, ultimately failing to achieve their commercial value. The preventive method is to persist with bag soaking so that cracks do not form.

7. Twisted stipes: this phenomenon is likely to occur when the air humidity in the mushroom shed is relatively low, the light is relatively strong, or the light angle changes too frequently. The preventive method is to maintain relatively stable air humidity and maintain relatively stable lighting; generally, scattered light of 1000 lux is sufficient.

8. Candle mushrooms: the characteristic of candle mushrooms is that on the bare stipes there is no normal cap tissue, resembling a candle. Causes: first, the cap tissue was damaged during the bud stage; second, the carbon dioxide concentration in the shed was too high. Control measures: cut the film in time; when thinning buds, be careful not to damage the buds to be retained; persist with good ventilation and maintain relatively fresh air conditions in the shed.