AGRI Grovestudies ✅
GroveStudies Production:
What is Mushroom?
Mushrooms are fungi. They belong in a kingdom of their own, separate from plants and animals.
A mushroom is the reproductive structure produced by some fungi. It is somewhat like the fruit of a plant, except that the "seeds" it produces are in fact millions of microscopic spores that form in the gills or pores underneath the mushroom's cap.
Mushroom Cultivation
Major steps in the cultivation of common edible mushrooms:
Composting: Composting involves mixing of various components such as wheat or paddy straw, chicken manure and organic and inorganic fertilizers in a fixed proportion. The temperature of compost is maintained at around 50°C. The compost is kept undisturbed for about one week.
Spawning: ‘Mushroom seed’ in the form of mycelium of mushroom to be grown is introduced into the heap of compost and left for spreading for around two days.
Casing: Casing is the most important step of mushroom cultivation. It involves spreading of a thin layer of soil over the compost. This provides humidity and support to the mushroom. It also serves to prevent the desiccation of the compost heap and helps in temperature regulation at around 20°C-25°C to forbid the growth of pests and diseases. The provision for circulating air around the compost bed should also be made.
Cropping and harvesting:Three major growth stages are observed, before mushrooms attain a fully grown form. Firstly, the mycelium, i.e. a network of fibrous mass, spreads out in 2 to 6 weeks, followed by the tiny pin head stage and finally the button stage, which is marked by an increase in the mushroom size, until it acquires marketable size.
Preservation: Mushrooms have a very short shelf-life. Processes such as vacuum cooling, bombardment by gamma radiation, followed by storage at 15°C, freeze drying in a solution of citric acid, ascorbic acid and brine, etc. are used for the preservation of mushrooms.
MUSHROOM BED PREPARATIONS
Procedure
Wash hands thoroughly with antiseptic lotion.
Take the polythene cover and tie the bottom end with a thread and turn it inwards.
Shade dry steam sterilized straw to get a uniform moisture level in all areas.
Take out a well-grown bed spawn, squeeze thoroughly and divide into two halves. (Two beds are prepared from the single spawn bag)
Fill the straw to a height of 3” in the bottom of polythene bag, take a handful of spawn and sprinkle over the straw layer , concentrating more on the edges.
Fill the second layer of the straw to a height of 5” and spawn it as above.
Repeat this process to get five straw layers with spawns.
Gently press the bed and tie it tightly with a thread.
Put 6 ventilation holes randomly for ventilation as well as to remove excess moisture present inside the bed.
Arrange the beds in side the thatched shed, (Spawn running room) following Rack system or hanging rope system.
Maintain the temperature of 22-25° C and relative humidity of 85-90 % inside the shed.
Observe the beds daily for contamination, if any. The contaminated beds should be removed and destroyed.
Similarly, observe regularly for the infestation of insect pests viz., flies, beetles, mites etc., If noticed, the pesticide like Malathion should be sprayed in side the shed @ 1 ml per litre of water.
The fully spawn run beds can be shifted to cropping room for initiation of buttons.
Preparation of Beds !!
