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18


MEETING Amycel conferences in Poland


Spawn producer Amycel organised two conferences in September in Karpicko in the west of Poland, and in Grabinowi in the east of the country. The main themes were pest and disease management.


By Mark den Ouden mark.den.ouden@mushroomoffice.com


The industry in Poland has seen rapid growth, but sales of Amycel spawn have not grown apace. One of the aims of the conference was therefore to raise awareness of the Amcyel name and put the faces of Damian Gorzelniak, who has already worked for a long time for Amycel Poland and is well-known there, and Dan Kame- lita, who has been employed by Amycel Poland for 18 months, into the picture. A total of 200 growers visited the events. The red thread during the conferences was pests and diseases and how to deal with them. The programme featured three guest lecturers; Dr. John Burden, consultant at Mushroom Advice and Analysis, Mark den Ouden, trainer and consultant at Mushroom Office, and Michael Barth from e-nema in Germany.


Hygiene top of the list Dr. Burden presented a report about Trichoderma and Virus X. We all know that Trichoderma can cause massive production losses. In recent years, Virus X has become less of a major threat


in Europe, yet it is still a silent but deadly enemy that has resulted in the closure of several companies in the UK. These two pathogens can wreak immense financial damage in a short space of time, hence the importance of good hygiene management. All links in the chain must be aware of just how vital good hygiene is. Pre- venting is easier than removing infections that have already taken hold. The diseases are unrelated, but they can both be spread by spores or fragments of myce- lium. Only a miniscule number of fungal fragments or spores is needed to spark an infection. And the earlier in cultivation the infection starts, for example at in- oculation, the more disastrous the consequences. Burden indicated that infection can also be caused when phase III compost is being filled. So hygiene is essential at farm level too!


Left to right: Dr. John Burden, Mark den Ouden, Damian Gorzelniak, Krystian Szudyga, Michael Barth, Dan Karmelita.


Den Ouden highlighted a number of hygiene related matters that are relevant on farms. Hygiene is the key to disease-free cultiva- tion, and the production sche- dule is one of the most important aspects that influence the disease pressure on a farm. Skipping a third flush in summer will reduce the number of flies, sciarids and bubble. Another method is ‘block filling’. This is possible if the mushrooms are produced on several locations or in different buildings. All the rooms are filled in succession on a single location, while harvesting takes place on a different location. Spreading growing over a number of buil- dings means that at regular times certain sites do not house any mushrooms. This greatly reduces the pressure of disease. Up-sca- ling means that taking advantage of this option is becoming easier. Other hygiene matters were also handled, which led to plenty of discussion about how to treat dry bubble and cobweb disease. It is very important to track down these infections in time, which means inspecting the beds for their presence before harves- ting. Mild patches of infection should be treated immediately by covering them with wet tissues


to prevent the spores from being disturbed and spreading. Bubble should be covered with a small bag and removed. Pour disinfec- tant, such as ammonia or alcohol, over the infected patch. To treat cobweb, cover it with paper and sprinkle with salt.


Nematodes to combat sciarids Michael Barth from e-nema explained how nematodes, Stei- nernema feltiae, are produced and deployed during growing to help control mushroom sciarid flies, Lycoriella auripila (see also MB53). In 2012 e-nema invested 1.5 million euro in the production of nematodes. These nematodes are used in many other types of crop production in addition to mushroom growing. The nema- todes are active at temperatures between 8 and 28 degrees Cel- sius, with the optimal temperature being 18 degrees. The optimal storage temperature is between 2 and 8 degrees, when the nema- todes are not active but go into a state of dormancy. The nematodes can be stored for at least 6 weeks, by which time they are 0.5 to 0.8 mm in length. The sciarid larvae must therefore be large enough to be penetrated by the nemato- des. With phase III compost that is a minimum of 10 days after the infection, i.e. after casing. With phase II compost apply half of the nematodes 5 to 7 days after inoculation, and apply the remai- ning half at casing. The full dose is no less than 3 million/m2 in 1 l/m2, but if for technical reasons watering is impossible, a mini- mum water dose of 0.1-0.5 l/m2 is sufficient. Once the nematode has found the larva, it locates a natu- ral orifice and lodges in the larva. Inside the larva the nematode releases bacteria which destroy the host. The nematodes consume the dead larvae and multiply greatly in number. Nematodes are small, but not minute, so when applying nematodes remove all filters and use sprinklers larger than 0.8 mm. Nematodes sink to the bottom in water, so agitate the water well during application to ensure effective distribution. ◗


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