What are the integrated pest and disease control measures for mushrooms?

Mushrooms are the main cultivated edible fungus variety in Zhangpu County, Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province. However, pests and diseases have long plagued the vast number of mushroom growers. The integrated control measures are described below:

(1) Strengthen cultivation management

1. Disinfection of the cultivation house. For disinfection of the cultivation house, a mixed solution of formalin and dichlorvos can be used for fumigation. Before fumigation, first moisten the floor, walls, bed frames and daily tools by spraying, and seal up cracks. For every 100 sq m, use 1 jin of formalin and 150-200 g of dichlorvos in a pot, add 5 times the amount of water, then place it on a stove and heat. After lighting the fire, close doors and windows, and after 24 hours of fumigation, open doors and windows for ventilation. To ensure personnel safety, no one may enter the mushroom house during fumigation or within 24 hours before ventilation. Before disinfecting an old mushroom house, also remove the residual old growing medium and wash the cultivation racks.

2. Disinfection of the growing medium. For the growing medium for cultivating mushrooms, in addition to high-temperature pile fermentation, formalin and dichlorvos solution can also be sprayed during the second and third turnings to kill contaminating fungi and pests in the pile.

3. Select superior spawn. When cultivating, select spawn with high purity, appropriate spawn age, vigorous vitality, and freedom from contaminating fungi and pests.

4. Create suitable temperature, humidity and good ventilation conditions. During mycelial growth, keep air humidity below 60%, which can inhibit the occurrence of contaminating fungi to a certain extent; maintain the second fermentation temperature at 58-60% for 8 hours, which can effectively kill pests in the growing medium and mushroom house.

5. Disinfection of casing soil. One day before casing, while turning the soil to be used, spray a mixed solution of formalin and dichlorvos to prevent the casing from carrying contaminating fungi and pests.

6. Reduce sources of pests and diseases. Promptly clean up residues and dead mushrooms after harvest; daily tools that have not been disinfected must not be brought into the mushroom house or used for harvesting and holding mushrooms; a screen door must be installed at the entrance of the mushroom house to prevent pest invasion during ventilation.

(2) Carry out timely pest and disease control

1. Control of contaminating fungi. The contaminating fungi that readily occur in mushroom cultivation mainly include Trichoderma viride, Penicillium, white plaster mold, brown plaster mold, and others. If Trichoderma viride or Penicillium is found on the surface of the growing medium, lime powder can be sprinkled on the affected area to control its spread; if it has penetrated deep into the medium layer, it should be dug out together with the growing medium, then lime powder sprinkled on, or 1% formalin can be sprayed for control. For plaster mold, acetic acid mixed with water at a ratio of 1:5 can be sprayed for control, or 0.5% formalin can be used.

2. Disease control. The diseases that readily occur in mushrooms mainly include Mycogone perniciosa disease, soft rot, bacterial blotch, and others. When disease is found, in addition to strengthening ventilation in the mushroom house, reducing air humidity, controlling the spread of the disease, and removing diseased mushrooms and conducting harmless treatment, Mycogone perniciosa disease can also be controlled with a 1500-2000 times dilution of Shibaogong, or a 500 times dilution of carbendazim; soft rot can be controlled by spraying 2% carbolic acid, or 1% formalin, on the affected bed surface; bacterial blotch can be controlled by spraying the mushroom bed with a 0.5% solution prepared from bleaching powder and soda ash at a ratio of 3:1, or by spraying with an 800 times dilution of Gangbaijunqing.

3. Pest control. The main pests of mushrooms include mushroom lice, mushroom flies, mushroom mosquitoes and nematodes. Mushroom lice can be controlled with a 1500 times dilution of Julehezhi, or a sugar-vinegar aqueous solution with 0.6% dichlorvos can be used to soak gauze and cover the surface of the mushroom bed for trapping and killing; mushroom flies and mushroom mosquitoes can be killed by spraying 0.1% derris extract, or 0.2% dimethoate, on the bed surface when there are no mushrooms. During the mycelial growth stage, an 800 times dilution of dichlorvos can also be sprayed on newspaper and covered on the surface of the growing medium for 24 hours, which can achieve a fumigation control effect; nematodes can be controlled by spraying 1% acetic acid or 25% rice vinegar.