Producing High Quality Mushrooms is always a challenge for a Mushroom farmer.The success and growth of his business depends on how he handle this.For getting a decent profit,he should be prepared.There are some factors which influence the growth and fruiting of mushrooms and thereby its Quality.Having some knowledge and taking necessary steps to control them will ensure a successful mushroom harvest.A Mushroom farmer can produce High Quality Mushrooms by controlling below factors.
Quality of spores or Mycelium culture
Quality of spores or Mycelium culture plays a major role in entire production cycle.Mycelium is the actively growing spore collection which is used for the easy introduction of mushrooms in the substrate(straw,sawdust, wood chips etc).They are cultured in a lab.Ensuring the quality of Mycelium culture will help us to get high quality Mushrooms.So buy Mycelium from a trustworthy source.
Growth Medium
This is another important factor which influence the production of mushrooms.Unlike plants,which derives their energy from photosynthesis,Mushrooms derives energy from growth medium by decomposing it through Biochemical process.So the quality of the growth medium plays significant role in overall production.The substrate should be easily digestible for mushrooms and should contain all necessary nutrients.Adding grains to the substrate will help to increase production.There are lots of researches going on this area.Most common and popular growth medium used in India is Straw.
Temperature and Humidity
There are two stages in a Mushroom growth. Mycelium growth and Fruit growth.During mycelium growth,it should be kept in a dark room at a temperature of 22-30 Deg C. CO2 level should be low.Enough ventilation help to decrease CO2.During Fruit growth phase,the Milky mushroom should be kept in an area where it can get some sunlight.The Humidity should be between 80-90% to enhance proper fruiting.
Pests and Diseases
Other Fungi and bacteria are the main issues which can affect Mushroom production.For avoiding them,the substrate should be sterilized well and the rooms should be neat and sterilized.There are some flies which lay egg on substrate and eat mushrooms.Proper covering of the rooms will help to avoid them.After each production cycle,the rooms should be cleaned and sterilized.
Water supply
Mushrooms contain 90% water.The quality of water we use will play major role in Mushroom production.For providing 80-90% humidity,we relay on mist irrigation.So there should be an eye on the quality of water we use or mushroom production. Contaminated water is a good source of other micro organisms which may causes diseases in Mushrooms.
By precise control of each of these elements,we can optimize the production in a Mushroom farm and produce high quality Mushrooms.Modern mushroom farms use fully automated systems to regulate Temperature and Humidity inside the farm.Exhaust fans and other technologies like mist irrigation help to achieve better performance.
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