CULTIVATIONTIPS ADVISIE Green and yellow in the bag
By Con Hermans
AdVisie ‘the mushroom growing consultants’, Heythuysen
hermans@mushroomconsulting.nl
Occasionally during spawning you will come across lumps of spawn that are infected with green or yellow moulds. Hygiene is a top priority at spawn companies. The grains and additives are sterili- sed, inoculated in clean rooms and then packed into filtered bags. After colonisation they can be delivered to the compost companies. But even though everything is inspected meticulously, things can still go wrong. For example, large lumps in the raw materials that are not sterilised to the core, leaks in the valves of the autoclave that allow the entry of unfiltered air, or a clean room that is not completely clean. And because you are working with a ‘sterile’ product to begin with, an infec- tion almost immediately results in ‘foreign’ mould spreading through the entire spawn bag. During the spawn run phase at the spawn company these infections become visible on the outside of the bag, so the affected bags can be removed early on. However, if the infection is in the middle of the bag, and is a slow growing mould, it will not be visible from the outside so the bag will end up being delivered to the compost company. This should be avoided at all costs, the spawn you bring into your company must be pure and clean. But is this mould harmful? Often it is a strain of mould that does not naturally grow in compost and grows very slowly even on nutrient rich material. So I do not expect it to develop into a competitor mould in the compost - which could be problematic. The infected grains are not incubated with mushroom mycelium. Other moulds present in the compost, and there always are other moulds, will use these grains as a source of easily available nutrients to feed their own explosive growth which will cause problems. If the bags of spawn are emptied directly into the dispenser it is just a question of pure luck if the infected lumps are found. The majority will be undetected. However, a grid installed above the dispenser that doses the spawn can catch the lumps so they are easier to check visually.
When to harvest a third flush?
Cobweb disease in the third flush. By Jos Hilkens
AdVisie ‘the mushroom growing consultants’, Herkenbosch
hilkens@mushroomconsulting.nl
Photos: AdVisie
Harvesting a third flush becomes a more interesting proposition when raw materials are expensive, the fixed costs are low, and the payment price approximates the cost price. For example, growers who have to buy compost from a long distance, countries where straw is used as a basic material, growers who produce on organic compost or countries where overproduction disrupts the market. Good moisture management during growing is vital for good production in the third flush. When the casing soil dries out too much, the mycelium will show rapid senescence and pinhead forma- tion will be less spontaneous. Nutrient transport also stagnates, which prevents the mushrooms from growing sufficiently. Moisture management - and ensuring a good contact layer between compost and casing – is an essential aspect to consider for a good third flush. Keeping moisture management at an optimal level is easier with brown mushrooms because water can be applied directly onto the flush. The same applies to mechanically harvested mushrooms. Growing a third flush successfully year-round is only possible if pests and diseases are excluded. Working hygieni- cally by observing fixed protocols, a high level of alertness and tightly closed rooms are key factors for success. Too many growers still fail to recognise the danger of untreated patches of bubble or cobweb. This simply encourages re-infections and the problem just gets worse. Cook out with the compost is then vital but is not always done due to time constraints or as a mistaken way to save costs. The ultimate price is a lot of trouble. Certainly in cold periods, the growing rooms should be completely free of pests and diseases. If growers do not have the right attitude, alertness and apply basic principles, they will soon be facing dramatic consequences. Seen over a year, some 20% of the third flushes will be lost. In this light, a third flush is a costly affair.
(advertentie) the mushroom growing consultants
Jos Hilkens +31(0)653 31 6204
hilkens@mushroomconsulting.nl
6 MUSHROOM BUSINESS
Con Hermans +31(0)653 29 9396
hermans@mushroomconsulting.nl
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