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Media and Composting for Mushroom Cultivation

Mushrooms are the fruiting body or reproductive structures of fungi that depend on dead and decaying organic matter for their nutrition.
Edible mushrooms belong to the family basidiomycetes, while morels and truffles belong to ascomycetes.
Good quality spawns, which are prepared from pure mycelium culture of mushrooms, are necessary for obtaining a good yield from mushroom cultivation.
Different mushrooms have different nutritional requirements, and media are used for providing essential nutrients and minerals to micro-organisms to support their growth in the laboratory.
Culture media can be divided into basal, enriched, selective, and storage media, based on their function and composition.
Different types of media are used for culturing mushrooms, including Potato Dextrose Agar, Malt Extract Agar Medium, and Compost Extract Agar Media.
Composting is necessary for growing button mushrooms, which depend on compost as a substrate for their nutritional needs.
Compost can be prepared by three methods: long, short or pasteurization, and bulk pasteurization method.
The long method of composting involves approximately three months and includes cleaning the composting yard, spreading the base material, adding fertilizer mixture, and turning the pile multiple times.
The qualities of good compost include dark brown color, 68-70% moisture, pH range of 7.2-7.8, and no smell of ammonia.
Mushrooms can be classified as primary decomposers and secondary decomposers based on their capacity to extract nutrition from lignocellulosic waste.
Oyster mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms are primary decomposers, while button mushrooms are secondary decomposers.Methods of Compost Preparation for Button Mushroom
There are two methods of compost preparation for button mushroom: long method and short or pasteurization method.
Long method takes 28-30 days and involves turning the compost every 3 days.
Short or pasteurization method can save 10 to 12 days in compost preparation compared to the long method.
Short method involves two phases: outdoor composting and stream pasteurization inside a closed chamber called pasteurization tunnel.
Chicken manure, wheat straw, brewer’s grain or wheat bran, urea, and gypsum are used in short method compost preparation.
Turning is given after every 48 hours in phase-I of outdoor composting.
Partially decomposed compost is filled in pasteurization tunnel and 48-50°C temperature is maintained for next 2-3 days by circulating the inside air in phase-II.
Advantages of short method over long method include more compost per unit weight of ingredients produced, reduced period of composting, doubling of compost yield, and removal of harmful fungi and pathogens during pasteurization.
Bulk pasteurization method is a modified form of short method, where compost is treated/pasteurized in bulk inside a specialty chamber in phase-II.
Advantages of bulk pasteurization method over short method include treatment of more compost per unit size and time, best quality compost preparation, reduced cost of pasteurization, and higher yield per unit weight of compost.
Short method is less polluting than long method and produces an average yield of 18 to 25% per 100 kilo compost, while long method produces 10 to 15%.
Short method requires a covered composting yard and a tunnel for 20 tons output compost, while long method requires only an outdoor composting yard.
Short method requires 20-25 man days and 700-900 KW power for 20 tons output compost, while long method requires 30-35 man days and no power.

Media and Composting for Mushroom Cultivation

Mushrooms are the fruiting body or reproductive structures of fungi that depend on dead and decaying organic matter for their nutrition.
Edible mushrooms belong to the family basidiomycetes, while morels and truffles belong to ascomycetes.
Good quality spawns, which are prepared from pure mycelium culture of mushrooms, are necessary for obtaining a good yield from mushroom cultivation.
Different mushrooms have different nutritional requirements, and media are used for providing essential nutrients and minerals to micro-organisms to support their growth in the laboratory.
Culture media can be divided into basal, enriched, selective, and storage media, based on their function and composition.
Different types of media are used for culturing mushrooms, including Potato Dextrose Agar, Malt Extract Agar Medium, and Compost Extract Agar Media.
Composting is necessary for growing button mushrooms, which depend on compost as a substrate for their nutritional needs.
Compost can be prepared by three methods: long, short or pasteurization, and bulk pasteurization method.
The long method of composting involves approximately three months and includes cleaning the composting yard, spreading the base material, adding fertilizer mixture, and turning the pile multiple times.
The qualities of good compost include dark brown color, 68-70% moisture, pH range of 7.2-7.8, and no smell of ammonia.
Mushrooms can be classified as primary decomposers and secondary decomposers based on their capacity to extract nutrition from lignocellulosic waste.
Oyster mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms are primary decomposers, while button mushrooms are secondary decomposers.Methods of Compost Preparation for Button Mushroom
There are two methods of compost preparation for button mushroom: long method and short or pasteurization method.
Long method takes 28-30 days and involves turning the compost every 3 days.
Short or pasteurization method can save 10 to 12 days in compost preparation compared to the long method.
Short method involves two phases: outdoor composting and stream pasteurization inside a closed chamber called pasteurization tunnel.
Chicken manure, wheat straw, brewer’s grain or wheat bran, urea, and gypsum are used in short method compost preparation.
Turning is given after every 48 hours in phase-I of outdoor composting.
Partially decomposed compost is filled in pasteurization tunnel and 48-50°C temperature is maintained for next 2-3 days by circulating the inside air in phase-II.
Advantages of short method over long method include more compost per unit weight of ingredients produced, reduced period of composting, doubling of compost yield, and removal of harmful fungi and pathogens during pasteurization.
Bulk pasteurization method is a modified form of short method, where compost is treated/pasteurized in bulk inside a specialty chamber in phase-II.
Advantages of bulk pasteurization method over short method include treatment of more compost per unit size and time, best quality compost preparation, reduced cost of pasteurization, and higher yield per unit weight of compost.
Short method is less polluting than long method and produces an average yield of 18 to 25% per 100 kilo compost, while long method produces 10 to 15%.
Short method requires a covered composting yard and a tunnel for 20 tons output compost, while long method requires only an outdoor composting yard.
Short method requires 20-25 man days and 700-900 KW power for 20 tons output compost, while long method requires 30-35 man days and no power.