How to prevent and control Penicillium disease in edible fungi?

What should be done when Penicillium disease occurs in edible fungi.

There are more than 350 known species of edible fungi in China, most of which belong to the Basidiomycotina. Common ones include: shiitake mushroom, straw mushroom, button mushroom, wood ear, silver ear, lion's mane mushroom, bamboo fungus, matsutake, Tricholoma mongolicum, russula, and porcini, among others; a few belong to the Ascomycotina, including: morel, saddle fungus, truffle, and others. The above fungi grow in different regions and different ecological environments.

Control methods for Penicillium disease in edible fungi:

Pay attention to good environmental hygiene, keep the area around the culture room and the cultivation site clean, and dispose of waste materials promptly.

The inoculation room and mushroom house must be cleaned and disinfected according to regulations; during spawn production, operators must ensure thorough sterilization, and bagged spawn must be handled gently during transport and other processes to strictly prevent plastic bags from tearing;

Check frequently, and promptly remove any contaminated spawn when found, and never sow diseased spawn. If Penicillium occurs on the mushroom bed compost, ventilate and dry promptly, control the room temperature at 20~22°C, and resume routine management after the contaminant fungi are suppressed.

Adjust the pH, appropriately raise the pH; when mixing the compost, add 1%~3% quicklime or spray 2% lime water to inhibit the growth of contaminant fungi. For chemical mixing into the compost, mix in thiophanate-methyl at 0.1% of the dry material weight for a better control effect.

Also pay attention to ventilation and air exchange in the mushroom house and mushroom yard to avoid high temperature and high humidity; when this disease occurs locally, you can wipe the area with 5%~10% lime water or sprinkle lime powder on the affected area, or first dig it out and then spray 3%~5% copper sulfate solution to kill the pathogen.

Control methods

① Conscientiously carry out the disinfection and sterilization of the inoculation room, culture room, and production site, keep the environment clean and hygienic, and strengthen ventilation and air exchange to prevent the spread of the disease.

② Adjust the compost to an appropriate pH. For the compost used to cultivate button mushroom, oyster mushroom, and shiitake mushroom, 1%-2% lime water can be used to adjust it to slightly alkaline. After picking mushrooms, spray lime water to stimulate the growth of edible fungus mycelium and inhibit the occurrence of Penicillium.

③ For local disease occurrence on mushroom bags, inject 15% formaldehyde solution; when Penicillium occurs on bed logs, wash them with lime water; when disease occurs on mushroom beds, spray 1% prochloraz, 0.5% duofengnong, 0.1% shibaogong, and 0.1% iprodione solutions for control.