Cultivation Methods and Technical Key Points for Gastrodia Seed Material

Gastrodia cannot nourish itself; it must rely on a symbiotic relationship with Armillaria mellea (honey fungus) to obtain nutrients for reproduction and growth. The parasitic Armillaria mellea can grow on about 200 species of tree trees, especially broadleaf forests. Generally, Armillaria mellea grows from the roots of cut trees, bamboo, or burned trees and bamboo, as well as dead trees fallen in the forest. Armillaria mellea must grow vigorously under certain moist conditions; soil moisture content should be no less than 45%-50%, and relative air humidity of 75%-80% is suitable. Armillaria mellea can also be cultured artificially, but the spawn must first be cultured.

Collection of fungal sources: Collect tender rhizomorphs of Armillaria mellea (with reddish-brown outer sheaths) from Gastrodia production areas, or collect young, fresh Armillaria mellea that have not yet opened their caps in autumn for tissue isolation. After isolating the species and inoculating, place at 22°C-26°C for culturing. When fully grown in about 7 days, it is the mother spawn.

Cultivated spawn: wheat bran 50%, rice bran 19%, gypsum powder 1%, sawdust 30%, with an appropriate amount of water. pH 6-7. Mix the above culture materials and put them into culture bottles, press slightly firm, after high-pressure sterilization, inoculate under sterile conditions, and culture at 25°C-26°C for 15-17 days; when fully grown throughout the bottle, it becomes cultivated spawn.

Seed material culture: Add water or 20% potato water to sawdust (oak is better) to make a semi-solid medium. When preparing, use 500 ml Erlenmeyer flasks, put 10 grams of sawdust into each bottle, then add water to moisten the sawdust, and continue adding water until the liquid surface reaches a depth of 0.5 cm. After adding enough water, select branches of chestnut trees and others about the thickness of a finger, cut them into small twigs 6-8 cm long, hack the bark into fish-scale shapes with a knife, put 2-3 pieces into each bottle, insert them obliquely into the above semi-solid medium, after high-pressure sterilization, inoculate under sterile operation, and culture at 25°C for 1-2 months; when the medium and branches are covered with reddish-brown rhizomorphs, it is seed material.

Stacking and mixing: Mix and stack the seed material cultured from the semi-solid medium with fresh branches of chestnut trees with a diameter of less than 3 cm and a length of about 30 cm, hacked with fish-scale notches. Method: sandwich one fresh branch with one seed material, after spreading full, use a mixture of sawdust and sand (at a volume ratio of 1:1, 50% moisture content) to fill the gaps, and cover with a 4 cm thick layer; on top of that place another layer of fresh branches, add filling material in the same way, and stack accordingly, and 3-4 layers can be placed in succession. Take care to sprinkle water frequently to keep moist; after 1-2 months, the fresh branches are basically all covered with rhizomorphs, and this becomes the expanded-culture seed material.