Detailed Explanation of Edible Mushroom Cultivation Methods and Comprehensive Disease Prevention Measures

The occurrence and even the epidemic of edible mushroom diseases follow their own patterns. On the surface, diseases appear only at a certain production stage, but the occurrence of diseases requires a considerable number of conditions. Therefore, disease prevention should start from the source and continue until production is completely finished, and no intermediate step should be relaxed in the slightest, so as to thoroughly eliminate the occurrence of diseases.

Select excellent virus-free spawn. Selecting excellent virus-free spawn is an effective measure to ensure that the spawn does not carry any virus or pathogen, ensure robust mycelia, and improve mycelial resistance. Virus-free spawn itself does not carry any virus or pathogen, and because the substrate and temperature are artificially regulated during the virus-free process, its adaptability to external conditions and stress resistance are greatly improved.

Disinfection treatment must be strict. Strict disinfection treatment in the mushroom shed and cultivation environment is the main means of eliminating residual viruses and pathogens. First, manure piles, straw piles, garbage, and other debris around the mushroom shed should be cleaned up thoroughly, and weeds should be removed as well. Spray fungicides such as 500-fold carbendazim and similar agents multiple times. Second, for old mushroom sheds, the wall skin should be scraped off; when conditions permit, about 1 cm of the surface soil can be removed, and a 50-fold mushroom disease-removal king solution should be used to spray the inside of the shed in a carpet-like manner. Walls, corners, pillars, ventilation holes, and other areas should also be sprayed with the solution, leaving no dead corners. This measure can relatively thoroughly kill pathogens inside the shed. A 10-fold strong glutaraldehyde solution or 200-fold Jinxing disinfectant can also be used for disinfection. Spraying a carbendazim-formaldehyde solution prepared from carbendazim and formaldehyde also has a very good sterilizing effect. Generally, carbendazim, formaldehyde, and water are prepared in a ratio of 1:2:100. If the disease was severe in the previous cultivation season, the concentration can be appropriately increased. Third, for mushroom sheds with severe original disease, the upper-layer rack poles, shed film, and other items can be removed, straw and weeds can be piled inside the shed and burned, the plant ash can be turned into the soil layer, the poles can be re-erected and the film re-covered, and then the drug can be applied by spraying, which has a very good effect. During the specific operation, a windless day should be chosen, and appropriate fire-extinguishing equipment should be prepared.

Effectively treat the casing soil material. Effectively treating the casing soil material is an important step in preventing pathogens from entering the shed. After selecting the casing soil material, spread it on a hardened surface for solar exposure, turning it frequently, keeping the soil particle diameter below 0.5 cm, and spray while mixing with a 100-fold mushroom disease-removal king solution, spraying and mixing 2 times. After building the shed, cover it with film and pile it for fumigation, which gives an excellent effect.

Substrate treatment must be strict. This is the key step to ensure that pathogens do not enter the shed. This stage includes the treatment of dry materials, pile fermentation treatment, standardized sterilized-material inoculation during bagging and spawning, and cleaning and sterilization of the environment during culture and mycelial growth. After mycelial growth is completed, before the spawn bags enter the shed, a 200-fold mushroom disease-removal king solution should be prepared and placed in a large basin or other container, and the spawn bags should be dipped and washed once before entering the shed.

Frequently spray bactericidal and bacteriostatic drugs. Frequently spraying bactericidal and bacteriostatic drugs is the main preventive means during fruiting management. After the spawn bags enter the shed or the substrate is put into the shed and spawned, drugs should be sprayed frequently to achieve the purpose of disease prevention.

Prevent and treat early. For initial disease occurrences, thorough treatment should be carried out. For three-dimensional cultivation in spawn bags, the diseased bags should be cleared out of the shed together, dipped in medicine, and deeply buried. When the number is relatively large, they can be piled for fumigation after spraying, or piled for fumigation after mixing with lime powder. The method is to seal the pile with thin mud after building it, allowing it to ferment naturally, and the heat produced kills the pathogens. For casing soil cultivation, the diseased area should be expanded and, together with the substrate, controlled all the way to the bottom and cleared out of the shed.

Eliminate insects and prevent disease. This is one of the important measures for disease prevention and control. Most pests often carry large amounts of pathogens. Once they enter the shed, they become sources of disease, spreading everywhere and rapidly. Therefore, when preventing and controlling diseases, the control and killing of pests must not be ignored. Main measures: clean up the external environment and spray highly effective low-toxicity drugs to control insect sources; spread a lime walkway more than 2 m long at the mushroom shed entrance to prevent crawling pests from entering; seal and hang insect-proof nets at ventilation openings and entrances to prevent flying insects from entering. After pests are found, the poisoned bait trapping method has a relatively good effect. For mushroom gnats and flies, pest-killing spray can be used during the interval between fruiting periods. A sugar-vinegar liquid can also be prepared for trapping. After mixing baijiu, sugar, vinegar, and water in a ratio of 1:2:3:4, add 3-4 drops of dichlorvos liquid and place it in a container. Adults fly in attracted by the smell and can then be killed. (Jiang Hailiang)