Detailed Explanation of the Key Technical Points of Bag Cultivation of Straw Mushrooms

Bag cultivation of straw mushrooms is a relatively new cultivation method and a high-yield cultivation method for straw mushrooms, with unit yield about double that of traditional pile cultivation. The biological efficiency can reach 30-40%.

1. Soaking the straw Cut the rice straw into 2-3 sections; if conditions permit, it can be cut into about five cm pieces, and soak in 5% lime water for 6-8 hours. The water used for soaking the rice straw can be reused 2 times, and lime must be added each time.

2. Mixing the substrate Pick up the rice straw and place it on a slightly sloped cement floor, spread it out to drain off excess water, or wring it out by hand; when the rice straw is gripped tightly in the hand and one or two drops of water fall, that is the suitable moisture level, with a water content of about 70%. Then add the supplementary materials and mix evenly, so that the various supplementary materials are evenly distributed and adhered throughout the rice straw. The commonly used formulas for mixing the substrate include the following.

Formula 1: about 87% dry rice straw + 10% wheat bran + 3% peanut cake powder or soybean powder + 0.1% potassium dihydrogen phosphate.

Formula 2: about 85% dry rice straw + 10% rice bran + 3% corn powder + 2% gypsum powder + 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate.

Formula 3: 83.5% dry rice straw + 10% rice bran + 3% peanut cake powder + 2% gypsum powder + 1.5% compound fertilizer.

Formula 4: 56.5% dry rice straw + 30% fertile soil + 10% rice bran + 2% gypsum powder + 1.5% compound fertilizer.

3. Bagging For the thoroughly mixed substrate, use 24 x 50 cm polyethylene plastic bags, and tie one end of the bag tightly with a slip knot using thick cotton thread, tying at 2 cm from the bag opening. Put the mixed culture substrate into the bag, pressing it tight while filling, with each bag holding 2-2.5 kg wet weight of substrate. Then tie the bag opening tightly with a slip knot using cotton thread.

4. Sterilization Use normal-pressure sterilization. After loading the pot, heat over high fire so that the temperature inside the pot reaches 100°C as quickly as possible, maintain 100°C for about six hours, then stop the fire and remove from the pot, and move into the inoculation room.

5. Inoculation Use aseptic or inoculation box inoculation. The disinfection treatment of the aseptic room or inoculation box is the same as for other edible fungi. When inoculating, untie the tying string at one end of the substrate bag, inoculate with straw mushroom spawn, and tie the string again. Untie the tying string at the other end, inoculate with spawn in the same way, and tie the string again. One bottle (or one bag) of spawn can inoculate about twelve bags.

6. Spawn-running management Move the inoculated spawn bags into the culture room, and place them on culture shelves or stack them on the ground. The stacking height of the spawn bags should be determined according to the season; when the temperature is high, the number of stacked layers should be fewer, and when the temperature is low, the number of stacked layers can be appropriately increased. Generally, stacking 3-4 layers is suitable. The temperature of the culture room is best controlled at 32-35°C. Four days after inoculation, when the mycelium in the spawn bags has colonized 2-3 cm of the substrate, loosen the tying string at the bag opening a little to increase the oxygen inside the bag and promote mycelial growth. Under suitable conditions, the mycelium can usually grow throughout the entire bag in 10-13 days.

7. Fruiting management Move the spawn bags fully covered with mycelium into the cultivation room, roll up the bag openings, and place them on bed frames or stack them in a wall-style arrangement 3-5 layers high, cover with plastic film, and increase the relative air humidity of the cultivation room to about 95%. After 2-3 days of management, mushroom buds begin to form, and at this time the film can be opened. Only when the mushroom buds grow to the size of a small button can water be sprayed onto the spawn bags, and when the mushroom buds grow to the egg-shaped stage they can be harvested. Generally, 2-3 flushes of mushrooms can be harvested.