Many common problems in Agaricus growing can be traced to a lack of evaporation in the growing room.
quality and yields. “Many common problems seen during growing can be traced to a lack of evaporation, and these can be prevented by ensuring the rooms are designed properly right from the drawing board. It is also important to know the altitude of the farm – the higher a farm is located, the greater the fan capacity. Whereas 22.5 m3 air per square metre of growing surface area suffices at sea level, you need to add an extra 10% per 1000 metres increase in altitude.” According to Gielen, restricting the return air can also positively contribute toward compensating for the extra resistance in the fresh air duct. He also had some advice on humidifying: “If you use water humidification in your air duct, be aware that humidification will not be particularly effective if the inlet air is too cold. In that case, it’s better to humidify by spraying the floor.” Rooms with a climate unit installed at the front can be a maximum of 30 metre long according to Gielen. “With longer rooms, it’s far better to install the unit on top of the room and distribute the air in an H pattern.” He also shared some tips on using airliners and the height, width and shape of the growing rooms. Bart de Leeuw of the Dutch McSubstradd explained the advantages of using Near Infra- Red (NIR) analysis compared with conventional lab testing. “The whole process is quicker and easier. I think that NIR analysis should be a computer generated fingerprint of the com- post.” He also explained more about the differences in raw materials such as straw and chicken manure and how correct sampling means they can be included in the NIR analysis.
Christiaens China Following a lecture on the current condition of mushroom growing in Russia by Alexandr Shirokikh, the final speaker was Junior Hane-
graaf. He is the manager of the plant that is currently being started up by Christiaens Group in China and explained why the company decided to take this step. “Christiaens started in 1960 and we have been supplying machines to the sector since 1971. Now we control the whole supply chain for turn-key projects. Agaricus production in China in 1978 was estimated at 60,000 tons – but that figure has spiralled spectacularly to reach no less than 5,150,000 tons in 2015. As growing has shifted from just a winter activity into a year-round process, the new farms are becoming larger and more professional, and we see plenty of opportunities ahead here. We can now supply our Chinese customers direct from our local factory, and so avoid transport costs and import duties on goods imported from the Netherlands.”
Enjoyable event
After this interesting and well-attended afternoon session, it was time for a Chinese buffet themed ‘Night of Button Mushrooms’ and a number of western style musical performan- ces. Representatives of the main sponsors of the Chinese Mushroom Days (including Kingfit, GTM and Yuguan) had an opportunity to address the audience. Mark Wach spoke on behalf of Sylvan. 16 November offered international guests an excursion to Tongfa Group (another sponsor) in the vicinity of Zhangzhou. Expect a report on this visit in next issue of Mushroom Business. The 10th Chinese Mushroom Days, well-organi- sed and enjoyable, offering a host of networking moments, either at the trade fair, during the many VIP dinners or at the bar of the conference hotel, met all our expectations.
Read more on the Chinese Mushroom Days further on in this edition.
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