Detailed Guide to Identifying Edible Mushroom Diseases and Cultivation Conditions
Choose a site near a river, with good air circulation, open space on all sides, and far from poultry and livestock farms, breweries, residential areas, hospitals, and garbage dumps. The site should be treated by turning the soil, sun-drying the soil, and flooding with water instead of chemical disinfection. For water source and quality, choose clean well water or tap water, far from sewage sources. The mushroom shed should be sturdy, on higher ground, with smooth drainage, no standing water inside, covered with plastic film and shade netting to protect against sun and rain. The covering should be somewhat thick to help with insulation, with straw curtains around the sides, leaving ventilation holes.
For the growing substrate, birch sawdust is the best, combined with cottonseed hulls, soybean stalks, corn cobs, etc., supplemented with wheat bran and rice bran, and with trace elements added. The raw materials being fresh, dry, and free of insect damage, mold, decay, and clumping is the foundation for success. In addition, the substrate needs to be disinfected before use.
The suitable temperature for edible mushroom spore germination and mycelial growth is 20-30°C, but different species of organic edible mushrooms differ greatly in the temperature for inducing fruiting body differentiation, and can be broadly divided into the following three types: (1) Low-temperature type: the maximum temperature for fruiting body differentiation is below 24°C, and the optimum temperature is below 20°C. (2) Medium-temperature type: the maximum temperature for fruiting body differentiation is below 28°C, and the optimum temperature is 20-24°C. (3) High-temperature type: the maximum temperature for fruiting body differentiation is above 30°C, and the optimum temperature is above 24°C.
Most of the water needed for the growth and development of organic edible mushrooms comes from the growing substrate, and the moisture content of the substrate is generally best controlled at around 65%. During the growth and development of the fruiting bodies, the moisture in the substrate decreases due to evaporation or harvesting. Therefore, water must be sprayed frequently to maintain a certain relative air humidity in the mushroom house and prevent excessive evaporation of moisture from the substrate. Relative air humidity can be measured with an ordinary hygrometer.
Organic edible mushrooms require relatively high air humidity during the fruiting body development stage. The appropriate relative humidity is 80%-95%. If the humidity is too low, it will affect the differentiation and development of the fruiting bodies, and in severe cases, the fruiting bodies will not differentiate, and even young mushrooms that have already differentiated will die. However, the humidity in the mushroom house should also not exceed 96%. Otherwise, not only will the mushroom bodies develop poorly, but pathogens will also breed.
The pH generally suitable for mycelial growth is between 3 and 8, with the optimum pH being 5.0-5.5.
Oxygen and carbon dioxide are also important factors affecting the growth and development of edible mushroom mycelium. Too much carbon dioxide is harmful to the growth and development of edible mushrooms. In production, to prevent excessive accumulation of carbon dioxide, the mushroom house often needs ventilation. This is a key measure in edible mushroom cultivation to ensure the normal development of fruiting bodies. Ventilation can replenish fresh air in the mushroom house, remove excess carbon dioxide and other metabolic waste gases. In addition, proper ventilation can also regulate the relative air humidity and reduce the breeding of pathogens.
Edible mushrooms differ from ordinary green plants in that they cannot carry out photosynthesis and do not need direct light. Also, because ultraviolet light in sunlight has a sterilizing effect, direct exposure to sunlight is harmful to edible mushrooms. They cannot be planted in the field like crops and exposed to sunlight, but need to be cultivated in dedicated mushroom houses or shade sheds.