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Detailed Explanation of the Key Points of the Manure-Free Cultivation Technique for Agaricus bisporus

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Agaricus bisporus is the main edible mushroom variety cultivated in our region, and the cultivation techniques for Agaricus bisporus have already been mastered by the broad masses of farmers. However, the expansion of the Agaricus bisporus planting area in our region has not been rapid, and one reason for this is that the compost for growing mushrooms requires a large amount of cow manure. According to the old formula, the ratio of manure to grass is 6:4, and growing mushrooms on 100 sq m requires 800 kg of dry cow manure. Many mushroom farmers cannot grow mushrooms on a large scale because they have no cow manure. In addition, cow manure needs to be sun-dried, crushed and sieved before it can be used. Sun-drying cow manure requires a relatively large site and also requires a relatively large amount of labor. When rainy weather is encountered, there is no way to dry it. Therefore, cow manure has become the biggest restrictive factor in the development of Agaricus bisporus cultivation. People successfully found formulas for mushroom cultivation materials that do not use cow manure quite early on, but it was not until recent years that the manure-free mushroom cultivation technique was promoted on a large scale. Hengxian, a major mushroom-growing county in our region, has in recent years promoted the manure-free mushroom cultivation technique on a large scale and achieved success. In this article, manure-free cultivation refers to cultivation techniques in which there is no cow manure in the mushroom compost formula.

Agaricus bisporus is a saprophytic fungus. All the nutrients it needs for growth and development are obtained from the compost. It prefers decomposed manure-and-straw compost. According to research and practice, this type of manure-and-straw compost has a reasonable carbon-to-nitrogen ratio. The weight ratio of manure to straw is 6:4 or 5:5, and the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio of such compost is exactly between 30:1 and 35:1, which is very suitable for mushroom growth and can achieve high yields. Later, due to the lack of manure, the proportion of cow manure in the compost became smaller and smaller. In such compost, the carbon source was in excess and the nitrogen source was insufficient. Through practice, people worked out ways to add substances with relatively high protein content, such as bran cakes, chicken manure, pig manure and silkworm manure, as well as chemical fertilizers such as urea and ammonium sulfate, to supplement the shortage of nitrogen, and also achieved good results. The manure-free mushroom cultivation technique is to use bran cake materials with relatively high nitrogen content, such as peanut bran, rapeseed cake and soybean cake, to replace the nitrogen contained in the required cow manure, or to use materials with relatively high nitrogen content such as peanut vines and soybean stalks as substitutes, and then use chemical fertilizers such as urea, compound fertilizer and ammonium sulfate to supplement the insufficient part. If the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio is adjusted reasonably, high-yield results can also be achieved.

Formula for manure-free mushroom compost: the rice straw in the following formulas should be soaked in 0.5 limewater.

Formula 1: rice straw 100 kg, cake fertilizer 7 kg, silkworm manure 7 kg, urea 0.5 kg, calcium carbonate 2 kg, superphosphate 3 kg;

Formula 2: rice straw 100 kg, rapeseed cake 7 kg, urea 1 kg, compound fertilizer 1 kg, calcium carbonate 1 kg, superphosphate 2 kg, gypsum powder 2 kg;

Formula 3: rice straw 80 kg, dried peanut vines or soybean stalks (need to be crushed) 20 kg, ammonium sulfate 0.8 kg, urea 0.4 kg, superphosphate 1 kg, gypsum powder 1.8 kg;

Formula 4: rice straw 30 kg, biogas digester residue (need to be sun-dried, crushed and sieved) 70 kg, gypsum 1.5 kg, and during composting pour with water from the biogas digester;

Formula 5: rice straw 100 kg, horse manure 40 kg, chicken manure 20 kg, calcium carbonate 2 kg, gypsum 2 kg, superphosphate 1 kg, urea 0.2 kg, ammonium sulfate 1 kg.

The formulas listed above are for reference only. Because the crops grown in different places are different, the sources of raw materials for mushroom compost also differ somewhat. Each place can research different formulas on its own according to its specific local conditions. In general rural use as mushroom compost, the carbon source is often in excess and the nitrogen source is insufficient. In this way, during the composting process, because the amount of nitrogen is too small, the rapid proliferation of beneficial microorganisms is affected, which is shown in the compost temperature not rising high, delaying the composting time and affecting the composting effect. Therefore, when preparing a new raw material formula, it is required to work out the reasonable carbon-to-nitrogen ratio of that formula. The specific steps are: first calculate the carbon and nitrogen contents of the main raw materials, and according to the principle of a carbon-to-nitrogen ratio of 33:1, determine the ideal optimal amounts of carbon and nitrogen, then determine the amounts of carbon and nitrogen that the raw materials should supplement. Generally, the nitrogen content does not meet the requirement and nitrogen needs to be supplemented. The simplest method is to supplement with chemical fertilizers. However, the amount of chemical fertilizer used must be controlled within a certain range. Too much will affect the rapid reproduction of beneficial bacteria in the composting fermentation and will also cause loss of chemical fertilizer. In mushroom compost, do not use ammonium bicarbonate as a nitrogen source, because ammonium bicarbonate itself is unstable and easily decomposes and volatilizes. The high temperature generated during the composting process promotes the volatilization of ammonium bicarbonate. The volatilized ammonia is lost into the atmosphere and causes losses, and the released ammonia also inhibits the microorganisms in the compost.

Because the manure-free mushroom cultivation technique lacks the main raw material cow manure, during the composting and fermentation of the compost, more attention must be paid to the interactions among auxiliary materials and to reducing the loss of auxiliary materials. In operation, attention must be paid to treating them differently. For example: urea, ammonium sulfate and compound fertilizer should be added in several batches, not all at once, to prevent loss and improve the utilization rate of chemical fertilizer. When using several nitrogen fertilizers at the same time, ammonium sulfate can be sprinkled in layers when the pile is started, urea can be sprinkled in during the first or second turning of the pile, and compound fertilizer can be mixed with water and poured into the straw pile. In order to spread the nitrogen fertilizer evenly, rice bran and other materials can first be mixed evenly with the nitrogen fertilizer and then sprinkled into the compost. Gypsum can be sprinkled in when building the pile, or it can be sprinkled in twice. Lime should be supplemented at the last turning of the pile, and the pH value of the compost should be adjusted to 7.0-7.5. In manure-free mushroom cultivation, when the proportion of materials with high nitrogen content such as bran cakes, silkworm manure and chicken manure is often increased (note: silkworm manure and chicken manure are best composted and fermented first before use, so as to avoid spreading diseases), the mushroom yield can be increased, but because the nitrogen ratio is too high, it is very easy to be contaminated by miscellaneous bacteria. The recently promoted mushroom secondary fermentation technique and edible fungus ripening agent technique can be combined with the manure-free mushroom cultivation technique. In the manure-free mushroom cultivation technique, if a fungus ripening agent can be added during the composting of the compost or the mushroom secondary fermentation method can be adopted, then the manure-free mushroom cultivation technique can be promoted and applied more widely in our region.

In manure-free mushroom cultivation technology, since the main raw material, cow dung, is absent, more attention must be paid during the composting and fermentation of the growing substrate to the interactions among auxiliary materials and to reducing losses of those auxiliary materials, and care must be taken to treat each one differently during operation. For example: urea, ammonium sulfate and compound fertilizer should be added in several separate applications rather than all at once, to prevent loss and improve fertilizer use efficiency. When several nitrogen fertilizers are used at the same time, ammonium sulfate can be sprinkled in layers when the pile is built, urea can be sprinkled in during the first or second turning of the pile, and compound fertilizer can be adjusted with water and poured over the straw pile. To spread the nitrogen fertilizer evenly, it can first be mixed thoroughly with materials such as rice bran and then sprinkled into the pile. Gypsum can be sprinkled in when the pile is built, or applied in two separate applications. Lime should be supplemented at the time of the final turning of the pile, and the pH of the growing substrate should be adjusted to 7.0-7.5. In manure-free mushroom cultivation, increasing the proportion of materials with a high nitrogen content, such as bran cakes, silkworm excrement and chicken manure (note: silkworm excrement and chicken manure are best composted and fermented before use, to avoid spreading disease), can raise mushroom yields, but because the nitrogen ratio is then too high, contamination by weed molds becomes very likely. The recently promoted secondary fermentation technology for mushrooms and the edible fungus ripening agent technology can be combined with manure-free mushroom cultivation technology; by adding edible fungus ripening agent during the composting of the growing substrate or by adopting the secondary fermentation method for mushrooms in manure-free mushroom cultivation technology, this technology can be promoted and applied more widely in our region.

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