Edible Fungi Mushrooms

and their Cultivation

Mushrooms are fruiting bodies of higher fungi

the Ascomycetes
-

and Basidiomycetes. They have been used as food by human beings

ancient Indian
since time immenmorial. Their use, as recorded in the
also known to
literature, dates back to 3000 B.C. Mushrooms were
them
the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations. Egyptians considered
as God's food and used them only on
certain festive occasions. In
ancient times, mushrooms were utilised only for taste
and flavour,
and were collected from their natural habitats. Later, the techniques
of
for the cultivation of mushrooms were developed at the beginning
the 18th century in France.
There are about 7,000 species of mushrooms, but a
little over
100 species are suitable for human consumption. Only a few species
of mushrooms are commercially cultivated. The common edible
mushrooms belong to Agaricus, Lentinus, Flammulina, Volvariella,
Tuber
Pleurotus, Pholiota, Tremella, Auricularia, Stropharia and
A. arvensis,
Amanita vaginata, A. rubescens, Agaricus campestris,
B. luteus, Lactarius
Lepiota procera, Boletus edulis, B. pinicola,
Russula cyanoxantha, Marasmius
deliciosus, Collybia velutipes, edible wild
oreades and Cantharellus cibarius are some important
mushrooms
species. The total annual yield of some important edible
IS given in Table 1.
 206
dibe uhonns

1 Totnl nnal irt 0

Ianle
Conimon name
Yield (in tonnes)
Specles
White hutton mushroom, 870,000
Agaricus bisporns mushroom
Furopean or troplcal
Shiitake 170,000
Lentinus rdodes
inokitakc 60,000
Fammulina vrelutippes
Vohariella volvacea Paddy straw mushroom, Tropical mushroom 49000
Pleurous ostrratus Oyster mushroom 32,000
32.000
P. sajor-caju Dhingri
Pholiota nameko Nameko 17.000
Tremella fusiformis Tremella 10,000
Auricularia poly1richa Jew's ear 10,000
Strophaires 2,000
Stropharia rugoannulata
Tuber melanosporum Truffles 2.000

The cultivable mushrooms can be divided into Table 2. The chemicai conpsitio threr edible
the following five groups: nushrooms.

d)Mushrooms that grow 0n Iresh plant

residues, e.g.. Lentinus, Flammulina, Mushroom Moisture Ash Protein Fat Carbohy-Energy
drate valoe
Tremella, Coprinus, Pleurotus, Auricularia (o on fresh weight basis) (cal)
and Pholiota.
2) Mushrooms that grow on only partly Agaricus 89.50 1.26 3.94 0.16 6.28 34.4
composted plant residues, e.g., Volvariella, bisporus
Stropharia and Coprinus. Pleurotus 90.95 0.97 2.78 8.65 5.33 24.4

(3) Mushrooms that grow on well composted Jlabellatus

Volvariella 90.40 1.10 3.90 0.25 5.51 29.2
plant residues, e.g.. Agaricus. diplasia
(4) Mushrooms that grow on soil and humus,
e.g., Lepiota, Lepista, Morchella and
sufficient
Gyromitra. Besides, mushrooms contain
(5) Mycorrhizal nmushrooms, e.g Boletus, quantities of mineral elements, such as Ca. Na
Amanita, Morchella, Lactarius and Tuber P and K. They also contain folic acid and are s
such very good source of iron. They contan
Nutritive Value of Mushrooms vitamins B, C, D and K, which are not distorted
during ripening, drying. freezing orcanning
In developed countries, the average consumption process. On the other hand, they contain very lite
of animal protein is about 31 kg per capita per fats (0.35-0.65% dry wt) and starches (0.02% dn
year, whereas it is only 4 kg in India. In India, wt). Thus mushrooms make an excellent food t
the plant proteins,are more widely used than the diabetic and heart patients.
animal proteins.Mushrooms are the richest The chemical composifmon of three import
source of vegetàble proteins. They contain edible mushrooms is given in Table 2.
21-30% proteins on dry weight basis. (Thus the
percentage of proteins in mushrooms 1s much VCultivation of Mushrooms
higher than in cereals, pulses, fruits or vegetables.
lac
The proteins of mushrooms contain all essential Mushrooms heterotrophic as they
are
amino acids and their quantity is higher than in chlorophyll. Hence light is not necessary
the egg. There is also a good amount of lysine growth. The three major requirements tor
amino acid in mushrooms (about 550 mg/g). cultivation are:
 Miushrooms
207
:
Edible Fungi
Wheat straw (cut to 8-12 cm long pieces) is
(1) Suitable temperature

spread on a clean cement concrete ground and

(2) Good compost
wetted properly with water. Then it is mixed with
(3) Good quality spawn.
half of the quantities of the other ingredients,
I A Suilable Temperature is stacked into about
Cxcept gypsum. This mixture
a meter high heaps and the heaps are covered.
most suitable temperature
for the growth of
(The 37°C.
After an interval of five days, these stacks are
between 30° and Temperature
mushrooms is scrapped and the remaining half of the ingredients
and above 45°C is detrimental for
below 15°C is thoroughly mixed with it and the whole mixture
of the mycelium and fruiting bodies.
the growth is piled again. This process is repeated six times.
of India, such as U.P., M.P., Punjab,
In many parts In the third and fourth turning, gypsum is added
and Maharashtra, the optimum
Haryana, Orissa to the mixture. After the sixth turning, if there is
season for
their cultivation is from April to a smell of ammonia, two or more turnings should
of West Bengal, they
September. In the plains be given until the smell of ammonia disappears.
between March and September.
are usually grown In the last turning, 10 ml malathion (dissolved in
(In favourable conditions, the first crop of 5 litres water) is added to the mixture. In addition.
mushrooms is ready within 30-45 days and thus I litre/kg of lintaff is also added to prevent insect
several crops can be taken in a growing season.

of infestation. The final mixture has sufficient

has effect the growth
Although light no on

mushrooms, the shelf of mushrooms grown in

quantity of moisture and can fill 20 trays of
life 100x 50 x 15 cm.
dark is relatively more.)
B] Good Compost IC] Good Quality Spawn
Two types of compost- natural and synthetic Good quality spawn is essential for better harvest.
are used for cultivation of mushrooms. Different substrates in which mushrooms were
already grown are used as inoculum. Mostdy
(I] Natural compost the compost left after the harvest of mushroom
The natural compost is prepared by mixing wheat crop is used as inoculum. Sometimes small pieces
or barley straw in horse dung. Normally 33 kg of mushroom stipe are used as inoculum.
straw is mixed with 100 kg of dung. It should be Inoculum of Agaricus is usually prepared by
kept in mind that dung of any other animal should adding grains of wheat, rye or millets to the
not be mixed with horse dung.(Stored or rain wvet
substrate.
dung is not suitable for compost. A meter high
Mushrooms are grown in beds of various
heaps of the fresh and wet dung, obtained from dimensions (1 x 1 x Im, 3.5x 3.5 x Im,
the stable are made in open air. After 3-4 days,
or 0.6 x 0.6x Im). Wooden trays of
when the dung starts producing ammonia due to
100x 50 x 15 cm dimensions are utilised for the
fermentation, it isturned and stacked again. This cultivation of Agaricus. The wooden trays are
process is repeated 4-5 times at the intervals
of
filled with the compost and then pressed so that
5-6 days. During this course, gypsum (25 kg/ a space of about 3 cm deep is left on the top of
tonne dung) is added to the dung. Finally, 40 ml
the tray. The inoculum is spread over the compost
nemagon is sprayed on the mixture. and then it is covered by a thin layer of compost.
The trays are finally covered with old newspapers.
I Synthetic compost They are arranged in vertical stacks in such a
The ingredients of the synthetic compost are
way that there is sufficient space for aeration
) Wheat straw 300 kg
between the two trays. There should be a space
(i) Wheat bran- 30 kg
(iii) Ammonium sulphate or Urea - 4 kg of about one meter between the roof of the room
and the top most trays in the stacks. The trays
(iv) Potash- 1.5 kg
are sprayed with water at suitable intervals to keep
(v) Gypsum - 30 kg
Calcium ammonium nitrate - 6 kg the substrate moist.
(vi)
(FUNGI & PL. PATH.)
 208
sprayed with water once or twice a day so tha
sufficient moisture is maintained. After 10-15 dave
of spawning. white cottony growth appears on the
entire surfaceand at this stage casing of trays is
done. The polythene sheets are removed and
casing is done by covering the
surtace with
2-2.5 cm thick uniform layer of the soil containin.
I part sand, I part garden soil and I part resin
free saw dust. The soil should be sterilized befora
casing at 20 pound pressure for two hours or h
heating it in a drum at about 90C or by treating
it with 5% formaline solution. The cased travs
are continued to be irrigated by spraying water
The first flush of mushroom appears after 10- 15
days of casing. If casing is not possible, the trays
Fig. 1. Pleurotus sajor-caju (dhingri). should be left as such and polythene covers be
removed after the appearance of the first flush
In India. usually hree types of mushrooms, New flushes of mushrooms continue to appear
viz..
viz. Agaricus bisporus (button mushroom). for 30-45 days after the first flush.
Pleurotus spp. (dhingri) and Volvariella spp. For the healthy growth of mushrooms
(paddy straw mushroom) are cultivated (Fig. 1). maintenance of a temperature of 25 +5°C and
The main operations in the cultivation of 85-90% relative humidity are essential. Besides.
Pleurotus sajor-caju (dhingri) are as followws. aeration and spraying of water is also necessary
To control insect pests and diseases, spray of
[I] Substratum 0.1% malathion and 0.2% diathane Z-78 is
The. substrate is prepared from chopped paddy
required.
straw. cushed inaize cobs, wheat straw. rye straw.
wooden i ] Harvesting
dried and pulvarized grasses. compost,
logs. etc. Mushrooms are harvested when the pileus is about
8-10 cm in diameter. The harvesting is done by
I] Method of cultivation the stalk that the broken pieces are
twisting so
The substrate is soaked in water in a tank for
not left in the trays as they may become the source
8-12 hours. After removal from the tank, it is for spread of diseases. The space fomed by the
washed with fresh water and the excess of water removal of stalks should be filled by sterilized
in
is allowed to drain. The substrate is filled soil.
wooden trays of 1 x 0.50 x 0.25 m dimensions. the lower portion of the stalk
After harvesting,
The is done in two ways (i) The
filling of trays with adhering debris is cut with the help ot
2

and spawn is
first filled up to 9 clean and sharp knife. Mushrooms can be stord
cm
trays are

sprinkled on the entire surface evenly. Then again in about a week. The fresh
refrigerator for
the final depth of the mushrooms can be dried either in the sun or uin
the substrate is filled until
substrate is 16-18 cm. (ii) The trays are filled an oven at 55-60°C for 8 hours. The d
with the substrate up to 16-18 cm and then the sealed befer
packed and
surface is sprinkled by spawn. After spawning,
mushrooms are

marketing.
trays are covered by polythene sheets. They are