ISMSNEWS The Capital of Black Fungus M


udanjiang, a city of Heilongjiang in northeastern China, was granted the name ‘Black Fungus Capital of the World’ during the opening ceremony of the 5th Black Fungus Festival in 2012, in the presence of the ISMS President*. From then on, the city has kept on developing its black fungus (Auricu- laria auriculae) industry and made impressive progress as follows.


Mudanjiang has set up China’s biggest fungus production base. In 2014, the city achieved edible fungus production of 4.01 billion bags (lumps), or 2.03 million tons, accounting for 6.7% of the national total and 55% of the pro- vincial total, including black fungus output of


1.70 million tons, or 1/4 of the national total. The city’s edible fungus net income reached 4.13 billion yuan, raising the local farmer per capita net income to 3,000 yuan above. The edible fungus net income is about 1/5 of the city’s farmer per capita net income. As a renowned centre of mushroom production, Mudanjiang also set up major fungus markets with complete functions, such as Dong- ning Yurun Suiyang Fungus Wholesale Market, in 2014, realising black fungus sales volume of 1.4 million tons and sales amount of 5.5 billion yuan, or 1/3 of the national total, and Hailin Farm Produce Comprehensive Market. Black fungus produced in Dongning were


also marketed in Bohai Commodity Exchange, carving out a new marketing channel.


Moreover, the city has preliminarily forged a full industrial chain from the R&D of black fungus species to the reuse of scrap fungus bags. It has nurtured 59 leading processing enterprises, 26 equip- ment manufacturers, and 22 recycling enter- prises with annual consumption capacity of 150,000 tons scraps.


Meanwhile, advanced and applicable technol- ogies, such as small-hole cultivation, ‘second- ary management in autumn to spring fungus’, in-shelter hanging bag cultivation and substi- tute soil cultivation, are developed and spread,


bringing the harvest of black fungus.


In addition, China (Mudanjiang) Fungus Festival has been succes- sively held for six sessions in the city. The event has become a regular and influential professional exhibition across the country. We are looking forward to meeting you on the festival in the world’s capital of black fungus.


Mr Zhang Xiang Mao, Vice-President ISMS


*See report on this event and wood ear mushroom production in Mushroom Business 55 – ed.


CULTIVATIONTIPS ADVISIE Don’t compress the compost too much


By Jos Hilkens


AdVisie ‘the mushroom growing consultants’, Herkenbosch hilkens@mushroomconsulting.nl


Photo: AdVisie


In practice, phase III compost is usually compressed to a layer of 16 to 22 cm thick in the head fi ller. This tendency to compress compost is often has four reasons. Some growers use extremely high fi lling weights (95 to 110 kg/m2) and the beds will be impossible to fi ll if the compost is not compacted tightly. Another reason is that growers want to have enough space to move between the beds with various machinery (ruffl er, cutting machine, stalk cutters). Maybe the distance between the beds is 57 instead of 60 cm, or a watering systems has been installed at a later stage, reducing the room to manoeuvre even further. And, fi nally, many growers compress compost to make compost temperature management easier. When compressing compost, pay attention if the compost has a short structure and a high moisture content. The amount of air in the compost (including oxygen) will be reduced, and this while it is required to decompose the compost and for mycelium growth. If compost is over-compressed there will be less natural activity, less mycelium growth and less natural evaporation. The motor (the compost) works less eff ectively, and the climate installation has to encourage the necessary evaporation and growth. Growth in this case is usually sluggish, with lower production and lower quality mushrooms. It is better to fi ll poorly structured compost more loosely on the beds (less compression at fi lling) and to possibly make do with a lower fi lling weight.


Growers should carefully weigh up the various parameters such as the amount of oxygen in the compost, the volume of water sprayed on the compost, the desired fi lling weight and the degree of controllability of the compost.


MUSHROOM BUSINESS 19


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48