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The AMGA conference can always count on a host of international guests.
demonstrates the pivotal role of fungi in recycling carbon. The availability of the genome sequence allows a better understanding how traits are inherited in the button mushrooms and thus is very useful for breeding. This knowledge can also be used for a better protecti- on of new Agaricus bisporus strains and will encourage investment in breeding. Dr. Michael Bellstedt (Minus 40 Pty Ltd) gave an infor- mative presentation on the different aspects of choos- ing and using energy efficient equipment for cooling. Mr. Phil Martin (Work, Health and Safety, Australia Pty. Ltd.) on the regulations of work safety and what gro- wers can do to ensure that their farms pass inspection. Brendan Burns (Sylvan Ireland & UK) gave a lecture on the importance of clearly defining work descriptions for the different people that are working together on a mushroom farm. Using a number of clear examples, he demonstrated the importance of working according to standard protocols and the need to maintain discipline by regular checks. In another lecture, Burns described all aspects of pinning a mushroom crop, ranging from composition of the casing soil to watering regimes and airing regimes. Jan Klerken (Scelta Mushrooms) gave a lecture on the wide array of mushroom based products that this family owned company is producing and trading. Scelta is a very innovative company and active worldwide in frozen mushrooms, preserved mushrooms, snacks on a basis of mushrooms, flavourings and health products. Dr. Mark Wach (Sylvan USA) presented an overview of the latest trends in mushrooms worldwide. He touched on the trend of locally produced fresh produce. He also noticed a global demand for ‘functional foods’ that pro- vide health benefits beyond what is provided by their nutritive content and gave insight in the way how white button mushrooms can fulfill this demand (vitamin D, beta-glucans, ergothionine, aromatase inhibitors that hold a promise as anticancer agent for breast cancer). He also noticed a trend towards less use of crop pro- tection agents as they clash with the notion of healthy. Finally he made his audience aware of the develop- ment of smart harvesting techniques that can help in the development of an automated harvest cycle. Dr. Johan Baars (Wageningen UR) presented a lecture on genetics of biological efficiency (weight of fresh mushrooms per kg dry substrate degraded). Compost forms a substantial amount of the production costs in many countries and it is used inefficiently. By studying the degradation of compost during the whole producti-
on cycle for many strains, knowledge will be generated how to improve substrate and how to generate varieties with an improved biological efficiency. As substrate costs will probably rise, it is important to have a better understanding of the nutrients that are taken up from the compost and the efficiency with which they are transformed into mushrooms. Ms. Judy Allen (IPDM) described the work that has been done in Australia with respect to controlling pests and diseases and the way in which extension officers can help to solve problems. Interesting novelty is the use of digital glasses that allows the visual presenta- tion of a problem (infection) to an extension officer that is located at the other site of the country and thus quickly enables the extension officer to understand the problems. Australia is a vast country and the farms are located at relatively large distances from each other. The use of digital glasses will enable extension officers to put their time to much better use, diminishing travel time. Mr David Walker (Clime) presented an overview of the macro-economic future of Australia. Key items were the development of the Asian markets and the possibilities that this would offer to agricultural Australia. Dr. Michael Kertesz (University of Sidney) presented scientific research being performed at his university. This research was geared up as a result of the variation of compost quality. As it is well known that the chemical characteristics that are measured on compost have limited predictive value for compost quality. Therefore a project was started to study the microbiology during the different stages of composting and cultivation. His research aims to integrate compost chemistry, enzymo- logy and microbial ecology during the different phases of composting and cultivation. His results describe a base line against which variations can be studied. Dr. Kertesz plans to study the straw component in compost by supplementation/addition of e.g. sugar cane ba- gasse, etc. Furthermore he aims at studying variations in the manure component in compost. Also Bart de Leeuw (MC Substradd) gave a lecture on nutritional value in compost. He focussed on supple- mentation of compost and described historical trends in the development of supplements and the research done by his company on development of new supple- ments. Next to this he explained the advantages of Near Infrared Reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) for a fast and simultaneous measurement of a number of chemical and physical compost parameters.
Panel discussion The conference ended with a discussion by an international panel, chaired by dr. Geoff Martin. The panel expressed its views with respect to genetically modified mushroom strains (only valid as a research tool), the origin of aggressive Trichoderma (no link to the introduction of hybrid strains on the market, no link to biocontrol agents based on Trichoderma strains), the availability of raw materials (possibly an alternative for peat based casing soil?) and pesticides (strongly diminished availability in the future). ◗
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