MEETING Dutch Information Day
On Thursday 26 February, a Mushroom Information Day was organised for mushroom-growing professionals in Hotel De Wageningsche Berg in
Wageningen. By Roel Dreve
T
his free event was held for the first time in this form and organised by ZLTO, DLV Plant, WUR and Funghi, with sponsorship from
companies including Hooymans, CNC and the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs. Following a brief introduction by the WUR’s Anton Sonnen- berg, the participants were divided into three groups, which successively attended the three knowledge sessions that - roughly – handled the topics of compost, energy and disinfecting and hygiene.
Substrate workshop Sonnenberg shared the results of a WUR study into the influence of compost on yields and quality in mushroom production. NIR analysis reveals that in two flushes, 17-18% dry matter is utilised. The greater the degree of decompo- sition, the higher the yield. After two flushes, the hemicellulose has been almost completely decomposed. But if hemicellulose is added as a supplement, the result is not extra production. Why is that?
“Filling less compost gives fewer, and lower quality, mushrooms, but the compost is used more efficiently. By unlocking the key to this process, you can increase compost efficiency. What causes variations in yield and quality with different substrate filling weights? The initial results of trials with A15 indicate that the differences occur in the first flush. The lower dry matter content if 40 kg/m2 with 90 kg/m2
is filled, compared
, probably results in lower quality mushrooms.” However, discovering why these differences happen in the first flush, and which substances are decisive factors in the various filling weights, is still being studied, as well as the influence of supplementation. The study is being funded by EA and PT. Bart de Leeuw from Havens/MCSubstradd spoke on compost-dependant supplementing. “The effect of supplements on boosting the yield differs widely. We want to know why, and what the limiting factors are.” Is adding supplements
40 MUSHROOM BUSINESS
still an interesting proposition with today’s compost? Yes, it is, according to De Leeuw. “A supplement can still generate an extra yield of up to 12%. In practice, the bio efficiency of compost is less than 10% based on dry matter. NIR analysis shows that many fluctuations can be observed in the levels of cellulose in compost. And there is an important relationship between moisture and hemicellulose. It is vital to care- fully choose a supplement that suits the type of compost. So, analysing the compost is crucial, because if the wrong supplement and compost are partnered, you could even see lower yields.” Havens and WUR now want to improve analysis of the precise component materials in straw, as well as gaining greater insights into compost. Johan Baars (WUR) explained about the study into the differences in taste between varieties of mushrooms. If you are able to define these differences, the knowledge can be used to develop new products. “In a genetic sense, there is hardly any difference between the various varieties and strains. We compared old and wild
Jan Gielen speaks at the energy workshop.
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