BUTTON MUSHROOM
The cultivated mushroom is grown on special composts, which are of the following two types, synthetic and natural.
Composting yard
The
compost should be prepared on well cleaned concrete or pucca floor,
which should be at a higher level so that the run-off water does not
collect near the heap.Composting is usually done in the open, but it has
to be protected from rain by covering it with polythene sheet. It can
also be done in a shed with open sides or a large room to shelter it
from rain.
1. Synthetic compost
The following ingredients are required for 15-16 trays of size 100cmx50cmx15cm:-
Wheat
straw (chopped 8-20cm long)-250kg, Wheat/rice bran-20kg, Ammonium
sulphate/calcium ammonium nitrate-3 kg, Urea-3kg, Gypsum-20kg
The
straw is uniformly spread over the compo sting yard in a thin layer
and wetted thoroughly by sprinkling water. All ingredients such as wheat
bran, fertilizers, etc. except gypsum, are mixed thoroughly in the
wetted straw, which is finally heaped into a pile. The pile, 1m high, 1m
wide and length adjustable, can be made with hand or stack mould. The
straw should be firmly but not compactly compressed into the mould.
It is essential to open the entire pile and remake it a number of times according to the following schedule:
Mixing of material and making pile - 0 day
1st turning - 4th day
2nd turning - 8th day
3rd turning - 12th day, add 10 kg gypsum
4th turning - 16th day, add 10 kg gypsum
Final
turning - 20th day,spray 10 ml malathion in 5 litre water (any other
available pesticide like DOT, BHC, lindane can also be used)
At
each turning water should be sprinkled to make up the loss of water
due to evaporation. If it is desired to add molasses, then 10 kg
molasses diluted 20 times with water should be poured over the straw
mixture during the first turning. Sixty kg chicken manure, if available,
can also be added at the time of start of pile.
2. Natural compost
The following ingredients are required for 15-16 trays of size 100cmx50cmx15cm:-
Horse dung-1000kg, Chopped wheat straw-300 to 350kg, Gypsum-25kg Poultry manure-100 to 110kg (or 3kg urea).
It
is prepared from pure horse dung (dung of other animals should not be
admixed), which must be freshly collected and should not have been
exposed to rain. Chopped wheat straw is mixed with horse dung, urea or
poultry manure. The mixture is uniformly spread over the compo sting
yard and water is sprinkled over it so that the straw becomes
sufficiently wet. The manure is then heaped in a pile as for synthetic
compost. After 3 days when the manure in the heap gets heated up due to
fermentation and gives off an odour of ammonia it is opened. The
process is repeated 3 or 4 times after an interval of 3-4 days. Twenty
five kg gypsum per tonne is added in two instalments at the 3rd and 4th
turning. At the final turning 10 ml malathion diluted in 5 litres of
water is sprayed into the manure.
Compost Filling in trays:
The
compost when ready for fil1ing and spawning has a dark brown colour
and no trace of ammonia. There is no unpleasant odour but it smells like
fresh hay. The pH is neutral or near neutral. The compost should not
be too dry or too wet at the time of filling in the trays, which can be
determined by the palm test. For this purpose a small quantity of
compost is taken into the hand and pressed lightly, if a few drops of
water ooze out of the fingers then it is of right consistency. If
relatively dry then the water should be made up by sprinkling. If too
wet, the excess water should be allowed to evaporate. The prepared
compost is now filled in trays, which may be of any convenient size but
depth should be 15-18 cm. A standard size of tray is 100 cm x 50 cm x
15 cm. The trays should be made of soft wood and provided with the pegs
at the four corners so that they can be stacked one over the other
leaving sufficient space (15 cm) between the two trays for various
operations. The trays are completely filled with the compost, lightly
compressed and the surface levelled.
Spawning
Spawning
means sowing the beds with the mycelium (spawn) of the mushroom. Spawn
can be obtained from Mushroom Laboratory, Y. S. Parmar University,
Chambaghat, Solan; National Mushroom Research and Training Centre,
Chambaghat, Solan (H.P.) at a nominal cost. Small quantity of spawn is
also available from the Division of Mycology and Plant Pathology,
Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. The grain spawn is
scattered on the surface of the tray bed which is covered with a thin
layer of compost. Spawning can also be done by mixing the spawn with
compost before filling it in trays. Five hundred gram spawn is
sufficient for five trays of standard size. After spawning, the compost
surface is covered with old newspaper sheets, which are wetted by
sprinkling water to provide humidity but no water is directly added to
the compost during spawn running.
The trays after
spawning are stacked vertically one over the other in 4-5 tiers. One
metre clear space may be left in between the top tray and ceiling.
There should be about 15-20 cm space between the two trays.
The
room should be maintained around 25°c. The humidity should be built up
by frequently watering the floor and walls. The room may be kept
closed as no fresh air is needed during the spawn run. White cottony
mycelium spreads and permeates through the compost. Eventually the
compost surface gets covered with the mycelium. It takes 12-15 days for
complete spawn run. Low temperature prolongs the spread of the
mycelium.
Casing
After the spawn run is
complete as is evident by white cottony growth, the surface of the
compost is covered with 3 em layer of casing soil. A suitable casing
soil can be prepared by mixing equal parts of well rotten cowdung
(finely crushed and coarsely sieved) and garden soil. The casing
material should possess high water holding capacity, good pore space
and pH should not be lower than 7.4. The casing material is sterilized
to kill insects, nematodes and molds. Sterilization can be accomplished
either by steaming or by treating with formalin solution. For one
cubic metre of casing soil, hqlf litre for formalin (40%) diluted with
10 litre of water is sufficient. The casing soil is spread over a
plastic sheet and treated with formalin by sprinkling. The treated soil
is piled up in a heap and covered with another plastic sheet for 48
hours. The soil is turned frequently for about a week to remove all
traces of formalin which can be tested by smelling. After casing, the
temperature of the room is maintained at 25°C for further three days,
after which it must be lowered to below 18°C. At this stage lot of
fresh air is needed and, therefore, the growing room should be
ventilated by opening windows etc.
Cropping and HalVesting
The
first flush of the pin heads become visible 15-20 days after casing or
35-40 days after spawning. Small white buttons develop 5-6 days after
pin head stage. The right stage of harvest is when the caps are still
tight over the short stem. In case the buttons are allowed to mature
further, the membrane below the cap will rupture and the cap will open
up in umbrella-like shape. Such mushrooms are considered to be inferior.
Harvesting is done by holding the cap with forefingers slightly pressed
against the soil and twisting it off. The soil particles and mycelial
threads clinging to the base of the stalk are chopped off. Mushroom can
also be harvested by cutting off with a sharp knife at soil level.
Yield
The
average yield of 3-4 kg per tray is considered normal. However, if
compost is carefully prepared, spawn is reliable and temperature is
favourable, then a yield of 5-6 kg per tray is possible. Partial or
complete failure may also happen due to negligence.
Storage
The
mushrooms are best consumed fresh. Storage in refrigerator for a few
days is possible if they are placed between moist paper towel.
