Requirements of a mushroom house at cottage/commercial level

Dr. Ishrat Naz

Department of Plant PathologyThe University of Agriculture, Peshawar

Khyber Pakthunkhwa

TERMINOLOGIES USED IN MUSHROOM GROWING

1. Substrate-carrier material used in growing mushroom2. Spawn-mushroom ”seed”3. Mycellium-This fiber- like ”roots” that grow through the

substrate.4. Pin-heads-The first signs of sprouting mushrooms.5. Fruiting-process of mushroom development(growth)6. Fruiting body-The actual mushroom.

TERMINOLOGIES USED IN MUSHROOM GROWING

7. Cluster- several mushrooms growing together sometimes from the same stem.

8. Colonization-Growing of mycelium through the substrate.9. Contamination-infection of other unwanted organism e.g.

green mould, black mould etc.10. Dark room-Room with total darkness where spawns are put

for the first 14-21 days for the mycelium to colonize (incubation).

Requirements of a mushroom house

1. Mushroom Housing: the structure should not be complex,

it could be made simply from locally available materials.

Requirements of a mushroom house

• Materials used include: -1. Steel structure tubing covered with tarpaulin2. Bamboo woven matting insulated inside with polythene

sheets.3. Grass thatched houses or with shade cloth thatching4. Green houses clad with insulation (glass wool) and roof

vents5. Mud walled house

Mushroom house

Mushroom houses

Mushroom house

Mushrooms

Button mushrooms

Mushroom bed

Conditions

1. The structure should provide the required conditions

to favor mushroom growing e.g.

(i) Lighting

(ii) Humidity

(iii) Temperature

Requirements of a mushroom house

2. Housing conditions: -

1. Temperaturea) Incubation 20-27o C (14-21 days)b) Fruiting/pin formation 10-18o C

2. Humidityc) Substrate moisture - 60-70%d) Fruiting body 80-95% humidity

Requirements of a mushroom house

2. Housing conditions: -

3. Light- Mycelia growth (Incubation) can take place

without light - Fruiting body (mushroom growth

process) requires light.

4. Ventilation -Fungi are aerobic therefore need fresh air

especially during the reproduction stage.

Substrate

• Substrate is any material used to support growth of crops

instead of soil.  Mushroom can be classified as:

1. Primary decomposers of organic matter (like wood,

leaves and straw in nature) e.g. shitake and oyster

mushroom,

2. Secondary decomposers-matter degraded by bacteria or

other fungi e.g. button mushroom.

Substrates

Wheat straw Shitake mushrooms on wood

Natural growth

Substrate

• The planting materials should make a good combination so

as to give a balanced nutrient supply to the mushroom.

• E.g.

• Tea leaves,

• water hyacinth, wood shavings.

• Corn stovers,

• Cotton straw,

• Cotton husks,

Substrates

Substrates

Examples of Agricultural waste substrate materials include:

• Wheat straw, • Banana leaves, • Banana pseudo stems, • Barley straw, • Bean pods/straw, • Coconut fibre,• Coffee parchment, • Coffee pulp, • Coffee sawdust, • Corn fibre, • Corn cobs,

• Grass, • Groundnuts shells, • Legume straws, • Paper pulp, • Potato foliage, • Rice straw, • Saw dust, • Sorghum stover, • Sugarcane bagasse, • Sunflower stypes,

Factors to consider in substrate selection

• High yielding substrate• Ease of use• Cost of substrate• Availability• Storage• Cost of transport• Clean (without moulds/coloration)• If possible from the previous harvest

The sterilization process

• Grain, sawdust and compost contain large numbers of contaminants. A single grain kernel may contain thousands of bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes.

• Steaming in an oil drum for at least 6 hours is usually necessary to ensure proper heating of the inner core of the substrate bags.

• Sterilize 4-liter bags filled with 2kg spawn substrate for at least 2 hours at 121°C.

Pasteurization by steam generator

Pressure cookers

• The cheapest option is to obtain one or more large pressure cookers. Select pressure cookers that maintain the pressure when the final temperature has been reached.

Incubator with spawn containing Bottles

Culture (Spawn) in Petri plates

Requirements for spawn production

• Inoculation box or laminar airflow cabin laboratory equipment like Petri dishes, test tubes, scales, alcohol, flame

• Incubator• Incubation room • Refrigerator• Weighing scale• Polyethene bags

Requirements for spawn production

• The raw materials include: • Ingredients for media preparation • Substrate material (grain, wooden sticks (skewers), sawdust,

or even oil palm fruit fiber)• Pure culture or fresh mushroom of the desired mushroom

species strain • Spawn containers (such as bottles or plastic bags)

•The minimal requirements for a spawn production unit are:

•A sterilization unit (pressure cooker, autoclave) sterile environment:

INCUBATION ROOM

Cultivation on wheat straw beds

Pleurotus ostreatus in plastic bottles

Requirement for Button mushroom

• Mushroom house• Cement or concrete platform (14 x 7 meters) for preparing

compost• Tray beds (wooden trays made up of pinus or deodar)• Compost ingredients• Spawn (mushroom seeds)• Casing soil• Sprayer with nozzle• Sterilization facility• Wooden board with handle for compressing the compost• Lime or carbonate of lime

CHALLENGES FACING MUSHROOM GROWERS

1. Bacteria2. Viruses3. Competitor mushrooms4. Co2 accumulation5. Light deficiency6. Pesticide effect7. Trichoderma (infectious fungi)