BY

BRANISHA RAVI NAIR

(B.SC. AGRICULTURE)

Production Technology Of Button Mushroom

INTRODUCTION
Button Mushroom (Agaricus spp.) is the most popular mushroom variety grown
and consumed the world over. In India, its production earlier was limited to the
winter season, but with technology development, these are produced almost
throughout the year in small, medium and large farms, adopting different levels
of technology. The species being grown in most farms is the white button
mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) belonging to Class Basidiomycetes and Family
Agaricaceae. The white button mushroom is most popular throughout the
world. (Germany, France, UK & Sweden ) Found in Himachal pradesh, Jammu
and kashmir, Orissa and Niligiri. The most important mushroom of commercial
significance in India. The national production of mushroom is estimated to be
50,000 tonnes with 85% being of button mushroom. Many farms for production
of button mushrooms were established and this variety still dominates the world
production and consumption.

 NUTRITIONAL VALUES
• Mushrooms are high in antioxidants which helps to get rid of free
radicals present in human body.
• Mushrooms are rich in Vitamins.
• Many minerals like: selenium, potassium, copper, iron and
phosphorus are available in mushroom.
• Ideal for diabetic patients.
• moisture; 90.4% , protein; 28.1g, fat; 3.10g, carbohydrate; 3g, fibre;
8.3g, ash; 9.4g, energy; 353K cal.
 PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY
Agroclimatic requirement
During vegetative growth (spawn run) 22-28˚C temperature is
required and During reproductive growth 12-18 ˚C is required.
Relative humidity :80-90%

Growing season:
Button mushroom is grown in winter, the most suitable temp. 24-25
˚C while 16-18 ˚C essential for formation of fruit bodies.

SPAWN PREPARATION
Spawn is just equivalent to seed or plantation material .it is only pure
mushroom mycelium growing on a sterilized grain medium. The grain medium
is prepared by boiled grains of wheat, bajra, jowar mixed with Ca source like
gypsum or chalk powder. The medium is sterilised in heat resistant glass
bottles at 100 degree celcius for 15min. & inoculated with Agaricus bisporus
culture. later medium is incubated at 25 degree celcius . This spawn get ready
for use after 2-3 weeks.

COMPOST PREPARATION
Compost is the substrate in which the mushroom mycelium grows and on which it
produces fruiting bodies. It is the product of a fermentation process brought out by
a number of mesophilic and thermophilic microorganisms that decompose plant
residues and other organic and inorganic matters. The quality of compost influences
the yield of mushroom. Compost prepared out of horse manure and wheat straw is
ideal one. Since these materials are not easily available, many substitutes are
suggested and are in use. There are two methods of composting, Long method and
short method. The distinction is based on the time taken for composting and the
long method needs three to four weeks, while the short method requires only 12-15
days, since the composting process is hastened by pasteurization. In the long
method of composting, pasteurization is avoided, which will make the compost
poor in quality and often gives variable yields.
RAW MATERIALS AND FORMULATIONS FOR BUTTON MUSHROOMS
PRODUTION
Materials required for composting
Vegetable base materials: Wheat straw, Paddy straw, Sugarcane bagasse, soybean
straw, mustard straw etc.These are reservoir of cellulose and hemi cellulose and
provide carbon nutrition.Should be freshly harvested, 5-8cm long, shining
yellow,Add bulk to the compost
N% 0.4-1.0%
Supplements:
CN ratio of veg. Base maerials is high ,it has to besupplemented with N sources to
bring it down to start fermentation
Animal manures: Horse manure, chicken manure N % 2.0-3.0 %

Carbohydrate sources: These materials are required to balance the CN ratio and
also to hasten the composting process.Wheat bran, molasses rice bran, apple
pomace etc. can beplaced in this category.Since above materials are easily soluble
in water, they arereadily available to micro-organism for their utilization.

Nitrogen fertilizers:
• urea
• calcium ammonium nitrate,
• ammonium sulfate
Nitrogen content of these are very high (28-46%) which is released quickly,
resulting in quick establishment of microflora.

Concentrate meals:
Animal feeds are generally kept in this category.
• Wheat or rice bran,
• Dried brewer's grain,
• soybean meal

• Cotton seed meal,

• Castor meal
• Sunflower meal etc.
These materials supply both nitrogen and carbohydrates which incase of animal
manures are released slowly.
Nitrogen content 3-12%

Moisture and nitrogen contents of compost raw materials.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
% moisture N %

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wheat straw 15 0.5
Horse manure - light 30 0.8
Horse manure - heavy 50 1.0
Deep letter chicken manure 30 3.0
Wheat bran 10 2.0
Brewers grain 40 2.0
Soybean meal 10 6.5
Cotton seed meal 10 7.0

Ingredients Fresh Moisture Dry N % Kg

wt(Kg) wt(Kg) N
(Kg) %
Wheat 300 10 270 0.40 1.08
straw
Wheat bran 15 10 13 2 0.27
Chicken 125 10 112.5 2.60 2.93
manure
Urea 5.50 - 5.5 46 2.53
Gypsum 20 - 20 -
Total wt. 465.5 421.5 N%=1.61
Elemental requirement of white button mushroom compost
N 1.5 -1.8%
P2O5 1.2-1.5%
K2O 2.0-2.3%
Cao 1.5-3%
Mgo 0.4-0.5%

Attributes Long method Short method Indoor

method
Days required for 28-30 days 16-20 days 10-12 days
compost preparation
Selectivity Partial Complete Complete
Average yield (kg/100 10-15 18-25 20-30
compost)
Effect on environment Polluting Moderately Non
polluting polluting
Avg.compost 1.75- 2.00 t 2.00-2.5 t 3.00-3.5 t
production/tons of straw
Avg. Final N % available 1.75- 2.00 t 2.00-2.2t 2.2-2.5 t
in compost

Infrastructure required/ Outdoor Covered

20 tons compost output composting composting yard
yard (60X40 (60X40 ft)+ 1
ft) tunnel(36X9x12ft)
Man days required/20 30-35 20-25 15-20
tons compost output
Power requirement /20 Nil Around 700-900Kw 800-1000
tons compost output
Handling equipment's Nil Turner,Bob Bob cat,
cat,hopper filling line,
 regulator and filling hopper
line regulator

MATERIAL REQUIRED FOR COMPOST

Long method
Wheat straw/ Paddy straw(equal quantity) 300kg
Calcium Ammonium Nitrate 9 kg
MOP 3 kg
Super phosphate 3kg
Urea 4 kg
Wheat Bran 25 kg
Gypsum 15 kg

Short Method
Wheat straw 1000kg
Wheat Bran 100kg
Chicken manure 500kg
Urea 15kg
Gypsum 40 kg

Long term method

The composting is done on a cement floor. It can be done in the open or under a
roof, but sides are to keep open. This method of composting is practised in areas
where facilities for steam pasteurizing are not available.
 Flow
chart of
long method
of

composting

a)Natural compost:
This compost is traditionally prepared by using horse manure and the barn waste
consisting of straw bedding of wheat or barley. These are taken in the proportion of
4:3 and to this mixture, generally 100 kg of chicken manure and 5 kg of urea are
added per tonne of substrate. The manure is kept as heap of about one metre height
and is regularly examined and turns down repeatedly. This is checked for the smell
of ammonia , if the smell is present then it is kept for more 3-4 days till the smell
goes off. Finally for every tone 25-kg of gypsum is added.

b)Artificial Compost:
Many formulae are available and ingredients to be used vary according to the
locality and availability of materials. A widely used formula in india is:
Formula Quantity
Wheat straw (chopped to 8-2- cm)  250 kg
Wheat bran 25 kg
Ammonium sulphate or Calcium 4 kg
ammonium nitrate                
Urea    3 kg
Gypsum       20 kg

Chopped wheat straw is spread over the floor and water is sprinkled thoroughly to
wet the straw. Mix all the ingredients except gypsum. Finally the mixture stacked to
a height of one metre and compacted using wooden boards. This mixture is turned
periodically on 5th , 10th, 14th , 18th, 22nd and 26th day. The gypsum is added in

two equal splits on the 14th day and 18th day. It is advisable to add nematicides like
nemagon on the 22nd day @ 40-50 ml per tone of substrate. In mushroom houses

where insect pests are also a problem, 10-15 ml of malathion is also added during
the final turning and sufficient quantity of water is also added on the heap.
Shortcomings of LMC
• dry matter loss of ingredients is more.
• Invaded by many pests/competitors/diseases and hence not perfectly selective.
• Frequent sprays of insecticides and fungicides are required.
• Most of the ammonia is lost in the atmosphere resulting in low final N content of
compost.
• Low yields.
• Not environment friendly

Short term method

The short-term compost involves two phases of operation, Outdoors composting
and steam pasteurization.

Purpose of pasteurization and conditioning

• It reduces the time of composting.
• It converts ammonia into microbial protein most of which otherwise goes waste in
the atmosphere in LMC.
• It conditions or sweetens the compost under definite set of temperature and
aeration, uniformly making
compost more selective for the growth of A.bisporus.
• It kills or inactivates insects/pests/diseases and
competitors of A.bisporus which, if present hamper the
growth of A.bisporus thereby reducing the yield.
• In SMC more compost per unit weight of ingredients

Formula Quantity
Chopped Wheat Straw 100kg
Chicken manure 400 kg
Barley 72 kg
Urea 14.5 kg
Gypsum 30 kg
 Compost production by short method
Phase: I Outdoor Composting:
Barley and chicken manure are added to wheat straw and stacked after adding
sufficient water to completely wet the same. The stack can be 3.3 X 2.5 X 1 m size.
Turnings  are given on the 2,4,6 and 8th days. The pH to be adjusted to 8.5 and the
compost filled into trays for pasteurization.

Phase: II Stream Pasteurization

Stream or dry heat is introduced to establish an aerobic fermentation and the
temperature maintained between 52 -60° C inside the compost. Usually it is done in
a room well insulated where the trays are properly kept and after this all ventilators
are

closed and steam is introduced to raise the temperature to 52-54° C for four hr and
afterwards fresh air is introduced and steam supply cut off.
Attributes of a good compost
• Should be dark brown to black in color.
• N level should be between 1.5 - 1.75% (long method).
• Moisture % between 64 - 68%.
• Should not be greasy.
• pH should be between 7.2 - 7.8.
• Free from insects pests and nematodes.

Indoor composting
Need is felt to control the composting operation in such a fashion so that there
is a least possibility of environmental pollution resulting in an end product in
shortest possible time suitable for the growth of mushroom mycelium.

SPAWNING:
The process of mixing of spawn with compost is called spawning.
Different methods
• Spot spawning: Lumps or spawn are planted in 5 cm deep holes
made in the compost each at a distance of 20-25 cm away, Then the
holes are covered with compost.
 • Surface spawning: The spawn is evenly spread on the top layer of the
compost and then mixed to a depth of 3-5 cms. The top portion is
covered with a thin layer of compost
• Active mycelium spawning; just before the pinheads grow the
mycelium is disturbed and transferred in the other trays for spawning.
• Through spawning; compost is mixed with the spawn grains
thoroughly and then the tray is filled with it.
• Spawn Running: Spawn running is a process in which mycellium from
grain spawn starts spreading through the compost.

CASING
Placing a thin layer of soil or soil like material on the top of the compost after
complete spreading of mushroom mycellium in the compost is known as
casing.

Casing material should be porous, neutral in pH, sterilised and free from insect
pest and diseases. The compost beds after complete spawn running should be
covered with a layer of soil(casing) about 3-4cm thick to induce fruiting. The
mixture of garden loam soil and sand in ratio 4:1,decomposed cowdung and
loam soil (1:1),sand and lime are commonly used. The casing soil is
pasteurized(at66-70˚C,7-8hrs) or treated with formaldehyde (2%)and
bavistin(75ppm)or steam sterilized. This treatment is done 15 days before the
material is used for casing. After casing is done the temperature of the room is
maintained at 23-28 ˚C and RH of 85-90% for 8-10days. Low CO2
concentration is favourable for reproductive growth at this stage.
Quality of casing materials

● Soft texture
● Light weight
● High water holding capacity
● High porosity
● Deficient in available form of C and N
● Neutral pH (7.0 – 7.5)
● Low conductivity (400-600 μ moh)

Casing treatment
Casing material should be treated properly before its application on the
spawn run compost and the steps involved are:

● Make a heap of casing material

● Wet it up to 50-60% water holding capacity
● Fill in trays and shift them to pasteurization chamber
● Steam pasteurization at 60-65°C for 6-8 hours
● Auto-Cooling Alternatively,
● Make a heap of casing material on a cemented platform
● Wet it up to 50-60% water holding capacity
● Drench the wet casing with formalin @ 1 litre/m3 (40% formaldehyde)
by mixing with shovel
● Cover it with polythene sheet and seal the outer periphery thereafter by
pouring sand/soil on outside margin
● Keep the material for 24-48 hours in sun for fumigation effect
● Remove the cover after 48 h and expose the material to open air and
sunlight by spreading over with clean tools and permitting the formalin
fumes to escape in to air for 2-3 days before it is used as casing (formalin
treatment effect decreases at low temperature due to inadequate
fumigation)

Casing application
● Unfold the fully spawn run bag and make the top surface even by gentle
pressing with hands
● Light spray of water on spawn run compost
● Application of 4-5 cm thick layer of casing uniformly using iron rings of
4 cm height or wooden blocks
● Water sparay in installments immediately after casing application

Process ofr casing soil application for button mushroom

Precautions
● Casing material should not be sieved but used as such with clumps,
which permits more air spaces in casing
● Top casing surface should have small mounts and valleys
● Care should be taken to prevent re-infection of the casing materials
● Store casing material in a sterilized /clean room before use in polythene
bags or synthetic cloth bags
● Apply water to casing in a few installments so that water does not run
into spawn run compost

Case run and pinhead formation

Case run is done at a temperature of 24 ± 1°C, RH-95% and CO2 > 7500
ppm (strain dependent) for about one week. There is no requirement for
fresh air introduction during case run. It is considered complete when
mycelia come in the valleys of casing layer. After case run, the
environmental conditions are changed by bringing down the temperature to
15-17°C (air), RH to 85% and CO2 to 800-1000 ppm (strain dependent) by
opening of the fresh air ventillation and exhausting CO2. This change in
environmental parameters induces pinhead formation in 3-4 days (strain
dependent) time. The pinheads develop into solid button sized mushrooms
in another 3-4 days (Fig.3). At this stage, the air inside the cropping room
is changed 4-6 times in an hour to maintain appropriate CO2 conc. as CO2
production is at its peak during first flush (actually peaks at case run).

Environmental Crop Management

Mushroom is an indoor crop, raised in cropping rooms with simulated

environmental conditions suiting to a particular mushroom. Hence
management of crop environment becomes utmost important. It includes
the temperature, RH, CO2 concentration, air speed/evaporation rate over
crop beds, air changes in the room/oxygen availability and other such
factors, which directly influence crop productivity.

The environment management in the cropping room includes addressing of

the
following factors:
1. Temperature
2. Relative humidity (RH)
3. CO2 concentration
1. Temperature

Temperature in the room has two areas for monitoring i.e., air temperature
and bed temperature. Temperature has direct bearing on crop productivity
in synergy with other factors like RH and CO2 /O2 conc. in the cropping
room. The bed temperature in the cropping room is directly influenced by
the air temperature, so it is the air temperature that has to be addressed.
The air temperature inside the room can be manipulated with use of
cooling/heating coils in an Air Handling Unit (AHU) installed inside or
outside the cropping room for climate control. An independent AHU is
desirable for each cropping room. The AHU inside contains a set of
cooling coils, heating coils, RH fogging jets and a centrifugal blower fan
for blowing the conditioned air into the cropping room

The AHU is generally installed on top of the entry door and is joined with
a recirculating duct from inside the cropping room. The cooling coils are
fed with chilled water from the chiller, while the heating coils are fed with
steam from boiler and fogging jets get water from trough placed at the
bottom of the AHU by a small pump. The cooling requirement will depend
upon compost quantity fed inside the room, outside prevailing temperature,
insulation on the walls, etc. The blower fan blows the conditioned air into
the room (Fig..3). The fresh air into the room goes in via AHU through a
control valve, and during most of the crop raising period fresh air valve is
placed at 20-30% and recirculating at 70-80% During spawn run the entire
air is recirculated (100%) and no fresh air entry is required.

a. Spawn run

For spawn run air temperature of 23 ± 1°C is maintained inside the

cropping room, which corresponds to bed temperature of 24-25°C (1-2°C
higher than air temperature). During this phase, the fresh air valve is closed
and entire air is recirculated, allowing the carbon dioxide to accumulate to
the level of 15000 ppm, desirable for quick spawn run.

Higher concentration of CO2 accelerates the spawn run/vegetative growth

of the mushroom. Any increase or decrease in temperature effects the CO2
production of the compost and the RH of the room. With increase in
temperature, RH will tend to fall, and just vice versa with decrease in
temperature. The properly insulated room will ensure uniform temperature
inside the cropping room at every stage of crop growth. The heat from the
cropping room is removed via cooling coils fitted inside the AHU.

b. Case run
The environmental conditions suitable for spawn run, are suitable for case
run as well. The same conditions, as for spawn run will be continued for
next 7 days for case run, i.e., temperature of 23 ± 1°C in the air and 24-
25°C in the bed. The RH/CO2 will also be same as for spawn run. Under
aforesaid conditions the case run will be completed within one week, and
at the same time the mycelium is observed in the casing valleys. Valleys
are the areas between the peaks as can be seen on top of casing. The CO2
conc. and RH should also be maintained within the optimum range for
quick and effective case run.

c. Cropping
After completion of case run, cooling inside the room is enhanced to bring
the air temp. down to 15-17°C in the room within 2-3 days time.
Simultaneously, the fresh air vent is opened to 30% and rest of the air is
recirculated (70%). This brings down the CO2 conc. inside the room to
800 to 1000 ppm, desired for pinhead formation. Likewise, the RH is also
reduced to 85% from 95%. This facilitates pinhead formation on the casing
within a week’s time. The pinheads grow into full button sized mushrooms
in another 3-4 days. At this stage fresh air can be slightly reduced to
achieve 1000-1500 ppm CO2 concentration. The environment parameters
are maintained as above during entire period of cropping. Since the
temperature has influence on RH and CO2 production from compost hence
should be manipulated, keeping in mind its effect on other two factors. All
the three parameters work in synergy with each other to induce pinning.
The pinning will be affected adversely if any of these factors is not in its
optimal range. High temperature for a long period of time during cropping
will lead to sealing of casing, and will result in stopping of pinhead
formation. The mycelium will continue growing in vegetative phase and
will seal the casing, making it impervious to water, thus resulting in
serious yield losses. The desired temperature in cropping room can be
maintained with good precision by the use of sensors and controlling
devices attached to cooling/heating coil inlets fitted inside the AHU. These
devices are easily available and are effective in temperature control in the
cropping room.

2. Relative humidity
Relative Humidity (RH) is the ratio/proportion between absolute humidity
(AH) and saturation point of humidity (SPH) at a given temperature,
expressed in percentage. Absolute humidity is number of grams of water
vapours contained in a cubic meter of air at a given temperature.
Saturation point of humidity is the maximum number of grams of water
vapours feasible in a cubic meter of air at a given temperature. Relative
humidity (RH) of 85% is necessary for obtaining highest pin head
formation in synergy with other factors like temperature and CO2
concentration. RH of 85% permits slow evaporation of

water from the crop bed to air in the cropping room and thereby facilitating
the upward movement of nutrients in the compost. This exchange of air
facilitates loss of CO2 + heat into the air, necessary for healthy pin head
development and crop productivity.

In the event of RH falling below 85% inside the cropping room, more
moisture from the crop bed will be withdrawn resulting in drying of the
casing layer. This will seal the casing and result in crop losses. Lower RH
in the room will be indicated by bed temperature falling below the air
temperature, an undesirable situation to be avoided at any cost. Under
normal circumstances the bed temperature is always higher by 1-2°C than
air temperature for development of a healthy crop of mushrooms. For
round the clock monitoring of RH, monitoring of the bed and air
temperature inside the room is desirable.
The incoming air should be humidified enough to prevent loss of moisture
from the crop beds. Evaporation of moisture from crop beds has to be
taken into consideration for calculating the g of water vapours required per
m3 air in a room for maintaining the required RH for cropping. Air in a
cropping room contains 9.6 g water vapours per m3 of air at 14°C (A), the
saturation point of humidity at 14°C is 12 g/m3 (S). The RH of the room
air will be A/S × 100=9.6/12 × 100 = 80%. The ultimate expression is the
quantity of water vapours contained per m3 of the air space of the room at
a given temperature. 31 g of water vapours gets evaporated from 1 m2 bed
area at 17°C/85% RH/hour. The change in room temperature will alter the
RH in the room. Use of RH sensors with cut off/starting devices for
recording and maintenance of RH in a cropping room is very useful. The
sensors will control the fogging jets in the AHU as per the requirement in
the room. For obtaining a temperature of 17°C and RH of 85% in the
cropping room, air temperature is brought down to 14°C at exit point of
AHU with 100% RH. The air on reaching the crop bed will receive some
heat from crop bed and raise the air temperature to 17°C with RH
automatically falling to 85%.

3. Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide concentration is the third important factor in management
of environment inside the cropping room. CO2 is produced by actively
growing microorganisms in compost during spawn run, case run and by
mushroom mycelia and mushrooms during entire cropping cycle (Fig. 9.5).

During spawn run, higher concentration of CO2 is desirable, which helps

in quick and quality spawn run. For spawn run, CO2 concentration
between 10000-15000 ppm is desirable (strain dependent) and it helps in
quick spawn run in compost. Higher concentration of CO2 is also desirable
during case run (Fig. 9.6). For pinning and cropping, the CO2
concentration is lowered around ambient (800-1000 ppm). CO2
concentration upto 1500 ppm is maintained during pinning & cropping,
and this is done by venting/opening of fresh air duct to bring in oxygen and
exhaust of CO2 from exhaust vents under positive pressure. The opening
of vent will bring in fresh air, which is conditioned in AHU (heated or
cooled/humidified) and then blown into the cropping room via ducts. The
CO2 gets

mixed up with the fresh air and is carried under positive pressure towards
the exhaust vent and finally exhausted. This also facilitates the exhaust of
heat alongwith the CO2 from the room air. The heat is removed via
cooling coils after the room air gets into the AHU via recirculating duct.
During air circulation, recommended air speed over the crop beds is
15cm/sec. Ensure that the desired air movement is there in the central shelf
in the middle row. This can be checked with the help of a burning incense
stick, which will indicate the direction of air movement in the cropping
room.

Higher concentration of CO2 during pinning can seal the casing or produce
onion shaped mushrooms with a bulbous base & a small cap. During
development from pinhead to button sized mushroom, higher
concentration of CO2 will lead to long stiped mushrooms with a small cap
(opened), which reduces the crop yields. By gentle movement of air over
the crop beds, the CO2 is carried away from the crop canopy, thus saving
the bad effect of CO2 trapped between the mushrooms in the crop canopy.
To ensure healthy crop production, about 6 air changes per hour are
recommended from the venting time to completion of first 2 flushes.
During this period, CO2 production is highest (10 g/h/m2) and it requires
to be removed at a faster rate. Along with CO2, heat is also produced @
10W per hour from one m2 bed area at 17°C and 88% RH.

In subsequent flushes, 4 air changes per hour are sufficient to maintain

right O2 content in the cropping room (about 16%). During first two
flushes fresh air vent is opened to 30% entry and 70% recirculation, and in
subsequent flushes the fresh air vent is put at 20% and recirculation at
80%. Use 2 μm mesh filters on fresh air entry points into the cropping
room to restrict the entry of diseases/competitor mould spores. The CO2
after mixing with the room air, gets exhausted under positive pressure from
exhaust vents, thereby helping in heat + CO2 removal from the room.
Maintenance of right combination of casing moisture (about 50 ± 2%),
CO2 concentration, RH and temperature at

pinning stage of crop growth helps in obtaining a heavy pin set, thus
resulting in a luxurious crop growth and excellent yield of mushrooms.

If onion sized mushrooms/drum sticks (Fig. 9.7) are observed, correct air
circulation for effective CO2 removal from crop beds is required. Lack of
air movement and accumulation of CO2 creates this type of situation. Long
stemmed mushrooms are again the outcome of CO2 accumulation in the
air around crop canopy due to faulty air movement/air circulation inside
the cropping room.

C. Airing Procedure for Fruiting

Venting or opening of fresh air for induction of fruiting after case run is a
critical phase in mushroom growing. Whether to cool first or bring in fresh
air first is a question bothering commercial mushroom growers. The airing
is done suiting a particular situation, whether one wants to have a heavy
first flush followed by moderate flushes later or equally spaced flushes.
The airing accordingly is handled under 3 heads:

1. Soft airing
2. Moderate airing
3. Severe airing
1. Soft airing
Soft airing means that we will have severe restriction on venting to get
smaller flushes suiting to market demand and the air is opened slowly. The
growing parameters to be manipulated for soft airing are listed below:
Air temperature 19°C in 48 hours
Compost temperature 21°C in 96 hours
CO2 concentration 4000 ppm in 48 hours
2000 ppm next 24 hours
1000 ppm after 72 hours
RH 98% to 92% in 48 hours

2. Moderate airing
Moderate airing means that we will have some restriction on airing/venting
to get well spaced flushes of moderate levels.

The growing parameters to be manipulated for moderate airing are listed as

under:

Air temperature 17°C in 24 hours

Compost temperature 20°C in 72 hours
CO2 concentration 2000-2500 ppm in 24 hours
Less than 1000 ppm in 48 hours
RH 98% to 92% in 24 hours

3. Severe airing
Severe airing is done to obtain a heavy first flush and no restriction is put
on airing. This results in heavy pin set and large first flush, followed by
smaller subsequent flushes.

The growing parameters to be manipulated for severe airing are listed

below:

Air temperature 15°C as soon as possible

Compost temperature 20°C in 48 hours
CO2 concentration Less than 1000 ppm in 12 hours
RH 98% to 90% in 12 hours

HARVESTING
Mushroom pinheads start appearing after 7-10 days of spawn run. They
appear in flushes after every 7-10 days and harvested accordingly.
Mushrooms are harvested by light twisting without disturbing casing soil.
Mushrooms are generally harvested on the basis of maturity rather than its
size.
Harvesting is done at button stage and caps measuring 2.5-4.0cm.

ECONOMICS
• The national production of mushroom is estimated to be 50,000
tonnes with 85%being of button mushroom.
• A compost of 100kg of straw yield 40kg of mushroom.
• In the retail markets button mushroom are sold at Rs 200per kg.
BUTTON MUSHROOM CULTIVATION IN FLOW
CHART
PEST AND DISEASE MANAGEMENT

PESTS
Phorid fly
Spring tail

DAMAGE
• The larvae feed on the mycelium and show rotting patches in the bed
• Young buds are also eaten by the larvae
• They also tunnel into grown up mushrooms
• The flies spread the disease from one bed to other

FAVOURABLE CONDITIONS
Temperature of 16-24 degree celcius is highly favourable and moisture
content of 70% and above show more incidence.
MANAGEMENT
• Bed moisture content should be around 60-65%
• Fix insect proof nets in the windows
• Fix white insect traps to attract flies
• Spray malathion @1g/lit. Or dichlorvos @0.5ml/lit on the floor and
sides of to kill the flies and beetles, never spray on the mushroom
beds and buttons.

DISEASES

False Truffle

 Diehliomyces microsporus
 Competitor than a pathogen
 Appears as cottony weft of mycelium on bed surface
 Wefts turn to dense small reddish brown, wrinkled, stromatic bodies
resemble  a truffle
 Infected bed have peculiar disagreeable odor
 Reduced yield at mycelia exist
 Introduced through soil

Management

 Good sanitation
 Proper Pasteurization of casing material
 Low temperature during spawn run
 Spray 0.05%Benlate
Cobweb

 Cladobotryum dendroides
 White silky growth grows over surface of casing soil
 It climb up and cover mushrooms comes in it’s path

Older mycelium changes from silky to granular white

 Infected mushroom become soft

 Later engulfed by cottony ball of mycelia
 Serious problem where year around growing is practiced
 Cobweb mold is darker than mycelium... almost grey as compared to
white.
 Main source of infection is casing soil
 A cottony mycelium grows over casing
 The mycelium soon envelopes the mushroom with a soft mildew
mycelium and causes a soft rot.
 It is also a parasite of wild mushrooms.
 Cobweb mold is favored by high humidity.

Management of Cobweb

 Identify disease symptoms early, not only the web but also cap
spotting.
 Treat spotty infections with alcohol drenched paper towel
 Cover infected areas with salt
 Change from light peats to heavy peat, casing may encourage
disease development, but heavy black peats are not responsible for
initial infections.
 Heavier casing may require increased water applications, therefore
may encourage the spread and development the disease.
 Heavily infected 2nd or early 3rd breaks should be steamed off to
reduce the spore load on the farm.
 Control strategies include lowering humidity and /or increasing air
circulation
 Increase hygiene of the harvesting and watering department.
 Judicious applications of Benzimidazole fungicides should be made
 Chlorothalonil should be included in the fungicide application
program
Green moulds

 Trichoderma koningii
 T.viride
 T.aggressivum f.sp.aggressivum
 Dark green mould patches on casing spreading to lesions on stems.

Control of green mould

 Sanitation and hygiene programme, especially targeting post crop

 Cover spots with sodium hypochlorite solution, salt, lime or gypsum
and lime mix.
 Good insect and mite control
 Personnel movement patterns further reduce the spread of the
disease.
 chlorothalonil at casing or mix into casing material 254 mL
formulation per 100 m2 of production
 Chlorothalonil is not effective against an established infection but
lowering the infection

Olive green Mould:

 This mould appears just after spawning and before casing.
 The colour of the mould is white which turns olive green afterwards.

Control:
 Spray0.05%Benlate or2%captan