What to Do About Dead Straw Mushrooms? A Detailed Guide to New Prevention and Control Techniques
I. Causes of Dead Straw Mushrooms
1. Poor coordination between ventilation and moisture retention in the mushroom house. Straw mushrooms are aerobic fungi and need plenty of water; too much ventilation easily leads to water loss and death. Insufficient ventilation easily causes excessive carbon dioxide and death from oxygen deprivation.
2. Sudden temperature changes in the mushroom house. In southern China, most straw mushroom cultivation uses foam mushroom houses, which play an important role in maintaining constant temperature and humidity. However, if doors and windows are not closed in time when a typhoon strikes, or heating is not applied in time when freezing damage occurs, or ventilation and cooling are not carried out early enough during sustained high temperatures, or too much well water is sprayed on the floor, the temperature drops too quickly, and the small mushrooms cannot withstand the sudden temperature change and die in batches.
3. Poor spawn quality and damage from diseases and pests. Spawn of the proper age dies of aging because it cannot be cultivated in time. If the mycelium vigor is poor, nutrient accumulation after spawning is insufficient, and the mushrooming survival rate will also be very low. At the same time, infection by contaminant fungi or invasion by mites can also cause dead mushrooms.
II. Prevention and Control Measures
1. Straw mushrooms like a high-temperature, high-humidity environment. After the compost is brought into the house, its water content must be strictly controlled, and the use of over-age spawn must be avoided, keeping the mushroom house temperature at around 30°C. If sustained high-temperature weather occurs and moisture is on the low side, water can be sprinkled on the floor and ventilation increased to lower the temperature and retain moisture.
2. The wheat bran (nitrogen source) applied on the surface of the spawn bed should not exceed 30% (it may also be omitted), to reduce the occurrence of contaminant fungi such as green mold and of pests.
3. Be careful when harvesting straw mushrooms, so as not to mechanically bruise the small mushrooms or break the mycelial layer and cause dead mushrooms. As long as care is taken at every stage of production, the phenomenon of dead mushrooms in straw mushroom cultivation can be reduced.