Straw mushrooms cultivation Technology

Straw mushrooms cultivation technology is very popular in South East Asia and can be cultivated outdoors or indoors. This cultivation technology uses rice straw substrate which is abundant, although other agricultural wastes can also be used. Outdoor straw mushrooms cultivation technology is simple and very adaptable to rural areas. The disadvantage of this technology includes large quantities of bedding required, pests, weeds, damage of beds by heavy rains and low yields resulting from poor management. The beds should be raised to facilitate drainage and shaded.

The straw should be arranged in beds while tied in bundles and trimmed on both ends for uniform length. The bundles should be soaked in clean water for 2-3 hours up to 24 hours. Draining before piling bundles on the soil or cemented floor is essential. The substrate is subjected to the squeeze test to ascertain the quantity of water before spawning. After the layer is complete, place spawns about 5-8 cm from the edge. The next layer of straw is made and spawning continues for 3-4 layers, or bed height of 60cm, then covered with plastic. This raises the temperature to about 35-38ºC which is optimal the growth of straw mushrooms mycelia. This also conserves moisture eliminating the need for watering straw mushrooms cultivation beds until fruiting.

During hot weather the beds should be loosely covered so that the temperature inside does not rise too high to kill the mycelia. Optimal temperature required during spawn run is 24-38ºC, 80-90% relative humidity, CO2 concentration above 5000ppm and no light, which takes 5-10 days. After 8-10days of incubation small white pinheads appear on the sides of the bed. The plastic cover in the technology should be lifted to provide good ventilation for cultivation of healthy fruit bodies. The straw mushrooms are ready for harvesting 2-3 days after appearance of pinheads.

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Shiitake mushrooms cultivation

Shiitake mushrooms cultivation is popular in the eastern countries. The product has a striking taste, high nutritional value, medicinal properties and high market prices. Shiitake mushrooms are at times also referred to as ‘Japanese’ type. Traditionally shiitake mushrooms cultivation is mainly done on hardwood logs. However its cultivation can also be on other substrates such as sawdust [from soft or hard wood], corn cobs, rice straw, and coir dust using the plastic bag cultivation technology. The substrates to be used for cultivation should also be sterilized instead of pasteurization due to the slower growth of mycelia, in order to avoid contamination and reduced production. Some commonly used substrates preparation formulations consists of 100kg sawdust, 1 kg ammonium sulphate, 5 kg rice bran, 5 kg urea, 1kg calcium hydroxide and 70% moisture. These materials should be composted for at least 30 days turning at 4 to 5 days interval until the compost turns dark brown and has no smell of ammonia prior to cultivation.

The compost bags are prepared and filled, and then spawning is done. Incubation follows in the darkroom at a temperature of 24 to 28 ºC. It takes about two months before the mycelia can completely penetrate the substrate. Another one month is required to allow the fruiting bag to mature completely. When the shiitake mushrooms mycelia begin to turn brown and ‘popcorns’ start to appear  on the substrate the bags are ready to be opened at the top and placed in the fruiting room. The cultivation room should be well ventilated and lighted for good fruiting body formation. The fruiting bodies start forming after two to three weeks. The room should be watered at least 1 to 2 times a day to avoid watering the shiitake mushrooms bags directly. This keeps the relative humidity at about 85 to 95% .The temperature for fruiting should be 10 to 20 ºC depending on the strain.

The fruiting bodies are ready for harvesting once they are slightly open. The bags will continue to fruit as long as the right conditions are maintained.

The yields can be upto 35% - 100% of dry weight of the substrate within 5 to 6 months. The produce can be stored fresh in the refrigerator in perforated polythene bags for at least 3 to7 days. Shiitake mushrooms are usually dried to improve smell and taste. Drying of Shiitake mushrooms  should be done gradually under the sun or in special driers with adjustable heat control, starting at 30 ºC and increasing every hour by 1 º to 2º, then 12hrs at 50 ºC and finally 60 ºC for one hour to increase the luster of the cap. In conclusion shiitake mushrooms cultivation is therefore a worthwhile agribusiness activity.

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Fresh mushrooms preservation technology

Food availability at all times is an important step towards ensuring food security for sustainable development and climate change adaptation. Fresh mushrooms undergo chemical and physical changes when stored.The changes affect appearance, flavour and ordour due to enzymatic activities, oxidation and bacterial spoilage leading to post harvest food loses. Generally refrigeration preservation technology reasonably increases shelf life; however, the produce is very susceptible to chilling injury. Freezing causes irreversible damage to the tissues. Processing technology is an important option for preservation of fresh mushrooms. Sun drying preservation technology is a commonly used technology  in preservation of fresh mushrooms. 

Fresh straw mushrooms are cut longitudinally before drying.Another alternative is hot air drying  in an oven which can  be done at 40ºC then gradually increasing the temperature to 45ºC.Drying at 45ºC takes a period of 8 hours resulting to a product 10% of the original weight.Shiitake variety is usually sun dried gradually or in special driers with adjustable heat starting from 30ºC increasing gradually by 1-2ºC every hour, then 12 hours at 50ºC and 60ºC for 0ne hour to increase the luster of the cap.Canning is still considered the best technology for fresh mushrooms preservation. The procedure starts by sorting, trimming, washing of fresh produce, followed by blanching in boiling water for two minutes. Branched produce is then filled in cans and 2% brine solution added. The entrapped air is removed and the cans sealed. They are then sterilized or pasteurized for 30-60 minutes under pressure at 121ºC-130ºC, or one hour in boiling water. The cans are then cooled rapidly.

Pickling is yet another mushrooms preservation technology which involves sorting, washing, and blanching for 5 minutes in boiling water, then placing in cold water to cool.They are then transferred to a jar or wide mouthed bottle and brine, a little vinegar, vitamin C or citric acid added to give the product an appealing look. The jar is then closed loosely and steamed for one hour, and then the lid is tightened after cooling the contents. Last but not least, paste making preservation technology involves soaking fresh mushrooms in 40-50% brine solution for 10-15 days. The contents are then blended until there is liquid paste. The resulting paste is put in a cheese cloth to drain excess liquid, and then the paste is put in a wide mouthed bottle. Steam for one hour and the delicacy is ready to eat.

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Button mushrooms cultivation [Agaricus Bisporus]

These are the most popular and widely grown edible mushrooms in the world. The world’s leader in button mushrooms cultivation is the USA. The button mushrooms cultivation requires relatively cool conditions for growth and fruiting body formation. These fungi lack the ability to form organic compounds for their growth. Their nutritional requirements for growth are therefore obtained from substrates or soil substitutes. Agaricus species requires composted substrates which have 70% moisture content. The commonly used materials are animal manure and cereal straws .The compost is pasteurized to kill insect and fungi pests. This is accomplished by placing the compost in the pasteurization chamber, injecting steam and allowing heating up to 60º C for 2-3 days, then cooling down to 45-50º for 4-5 days in order to condition. Air is then introduced into to the room to allow of growth of thermophillic organisms which are beneficial to the growth of the crop. When growing on very small scale, indoor pasteurization may be omitted and previously disinfected boxes filled with compost.

The compost is then transferred to a growing room and filled on the shelves. In practice the bed thickness varies from 10-20Cm.Increase in temperature occurs in thick beds limiting bed thickness. If button mushrooms cultivation is not under controlled conditions, the suitable thickness of the compost layer must be determined for the local climatic conditions. After spawning, the temperature is maintained at 22-25ºC to allow for good growth of mycelia within the compost. It takes about 3 weeks for mycelia to fully colonize the compost. The beds for button mushrooms cultivation should never be allowed to dry out. Casing layer is added to the surface of spawn run compost to stimulate formation of fruiting bodies and prevent drying up. A good casing medium should have an open texture, good water holding capacity and free from pests and diseases. Pasteurized garden loam soil or peat moss can be used as casing medium and PH adjusted to 6.5-8.5 by adding lime. The casing material is spread evenly on the surface and mixed evenly to a depth of 5cm. Water is sprinkled lightly on the casing medium, and incubation continued for 7-10 days at 18-24ºC.

To encourage fruiting, the temperature should be lowered to14-18ºC after casing and fresh air allowed into the room to lower the level of carbon dioxide, which may inhibit primordial formation and fruiting. It may also cause defects during button mushrooms cultivation. If cooling system is not available, button mushrooms cultivation should take off when the temperatures 12-18ºC. It takes about 20 days from spawning to harvest. The following hygiene measures are essential during button mushrooms cultivation:-

·        The growing building should be enclosed and easy to clean

·        Incoming air should be filtered

·        High standards of personal hygiene should be observed by the workers

·        At the end of button mushrooms cultivation cycle, spent compost should be ‘cooked out’ at 65ºC for 10 hours

Pest and diseases observed during button mushroom cultivation includes insects, mites, nematodes, bacteria, fungi and die back. Control measures include high standards of hygiene in the houses for button mushrooms cultivation, filtering of incoming air, and use of recommended pesticides, use un-infected compost, addition of sodium hypochlorite to irrigation water for bacterial control during growth, cleaning and disinfection of the houses used for button mushrooms cultivation after growing cycle.

Harvesting takes place before the fruiting bodies open. In high technology button mushrooms cultivation, the average yield is about 40kg /sq/M .3-4 flushes are harvested before the compost is removed. Agaricus species can stay fresh for one week at 10ºC.

Farmers.

More info- http://www.farmingafrika.com/mushroom-farming/guide-mushroom-farming-kenya/

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Oyster mushrooms cultivation in Kenya

Mushrooms can be defined as fruiting bodies of fungi. They have no chlorophyll and therefore lack the ability to synthesize their own food.They get nutrients from supplements like wheat or rice bran. Oyster mushrooms cultivation produces organically grown health food. Oyster mushrooms cultivation is the most economical way to utilize agricultural by products which would otherwise be burned or left to rot in the field polluting the environment. The spent mushroom cultivation media can be used as compost or livestock feed. Therefore mushroom cultivation is a good environmental conservation method.Oyster mushrooms cultivation which is common in Kenya is inexpensive and has a readily available market. Oyster mushrooms cultivation can be done using readily available inexpensive substrates which include straw, sugarcane baggase, coffee residues, straw, banana waste, cotton seed hulls and sawdust. Oyster mushrooms cultivation requirements are Spawns, Substrate, and a room, Supplements like wheat or rise bran, Agricultural lime, Poly bags, string and Water.

The following are the ingredient ratios for oyster mushrooms cultivation media preparation; 1kg supplement: 4kilograms substrate: 8litres water per poly bag.75% moisture is recommended to avoid water logging.Sterile conditions are essential for oyster mushrooms cultivation; therefore preparation starts with pasteurization which involves chopping of the substrate and soaking overnight for moistening, then packing it in poly bags, followed by submerging the poly bags for 2 hours in boiling water at 90ºC and above, and then cool the bags for 24-48 hours.

Bleach method is an alternative sterilization method in oyster mushrooms cultivation and it involves the use of household bleach 5.25 percentage of sodium hypochlorite.5-6 cups of the bleach is added to 190 litres of water, after which the substrate is submerged for 4-12 hours. As a caution, the bleach solution which remains should be drained off where there is no vegetation to avoid scorching.

Spawning or sowing the seeds is the next step which is carried out in a dark room, followed by tying the poly bag at the top. Open after 28 days while white colonies start appearing. Open the top of the bag only to avoid sprouting from several surfaces which might lead to a glut leading to marketing problem. 3 days after opening the bags, white pin heads appear and water spray should be done to facilitate pinheads opening. Damp conditions are critically required at this point of oyster mushrooms cultivation and hence earth floors should be should be sprinkled with water while cemented floors are covered with a damp Hessian Cloth. Harvesting starts 30-40 days after spawning or sowing and optimal cropping cycle is 70-80 days, thus harvesting can continue for a period of 8 weeks.

The ventilation space between the wall and the roof should be minimized during construction to avoid excess moisture loss or adapted if an already constructed structure is used. The shelves which hold the poly bags should be made on double rows in order to allow space for watering and harvesting. The shelves should be 1 metre wide while the lowest shelf should be 15 cm from above ground.

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Mushroom farming: A Rescue for cash strapped young entrepreneurs in Kenya

Mushroom growing is among the most profitable farming businesses in Kenya today. Mushrooms are a delicacy and a health food which is low in calories, high in vegetable protein, chitin, iron, zinc, fiber, essential amino acids vitamins and minerals.

Mushroom farming is a cheap source of income that generates returns in a very short period. Mushrooms give high returns on initial investments. The requirements to start the business are Spawn or the seed, a room, Substrate or the soil substitute. Mushroom growing requires very little capital to start and with KSH30, 000, one can grow oyster mushrooms according to mushroom growing expert.Button Variety's investment requirements are higher with matching returns. The incubation period for mushroom mycelium is one month and the harvesting period is three months. A room with 3 x 3 meter dimensions can hold 1000 mushroom sets on small polythene bags.

Each bag can produces at least 400 grams of mushrooms. A kilogram of oyster mushrooms sold locally costs KSH 400. If 1000 bags each yield 400 grams and a kilogram of mushrooms sells for Sh400 the total revenue will be Sh160, 000, minus packaging costs of Sh40 a pack.

Contrary to other farm enterprises, land is not a requirement in mushroom growing. Moreover the demand for mushrooms in Kenya is far much greater than the supply. The country imports additional product from China in order to satisfy the market demand. This means there is a big growth potential in mushroom growing. The uptake of mushroom growing by the farmers is slow due to scarcity of spawns, making the product expensive.

Oyster and shiitake mushroom varieties are recommended for beginners in mushroom growing. They have a ready market in Kenya and can grow in many substrates, on small scale with moderate investment. Oyster and button varieties are rich in nutrients while Shitake and Reishi have medicinal properties. You will need training on how to prepare substrates for mushroom growing and your agricultural advisor comes in hardy. Alternatively, you can purchase ready made sterilized substrate from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology situated at Juja, 36 km northeast of Nairobi, along Thika Nairobi -Superhighway. Moi University at Chepkoilel Kenya sells hybrid mushroom spawns.

Fresh mushrooms make delicious stews which are taken with staple foods as an alternative to meat. Mushrooms can be value added by making mushroom-based porridge flour that is gradually gaining acceptance in the market. Mushrooms can also be made into beverages like reishi coffee and tea. These are beverages based on the reishi mushroom which is known to be medicinal. Stakeholders in the mushroom commodity value chain have formed the Kenya mushroom growers association with an objective of strengthening the value chain, and linking the growers with the market and spawn producers, as well as to one another. This will help to develop thriving business environment that continues to attract more members into mushroom growing. Horticultural Crops Development Authority has stepped up mushroom consumer awareness for a shift in feeding habits because farmers need to be assured of the market.
More-http://yagrein.blogspot.com/p/what-are-youth-saying.html

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