Thursday 19 July 2012

5. Incubation, Fruitbody Development, and Harvest


The Incubation of Inoculated Compost Bags

The term of 'compost incubation' is assigned to the period of time from inoculation until mushroom fruiting. At Pleurotus this usually lasts between 17 and 27 days. 
Incubation is usually done in the same room where mushroom fruiting occurs or may be done in a separate room especially designed for this purpose. The latter variant is even better since it reduces the contamination of your mushroom growing room with alien organisms.
To avoid the possible contamination of the bag and its extension to other bags as well and to facilitate gas exchange within the bags is important to:
• place the bags at 10-15 cm distance one from another;
• avoid overlapping the bags, this can increase the substrate temperature during spawn run; 
• do not wet the bags.
    Fig. 22. Hanging column bags incubating in the grow room
    (Photo credits: www.fungiforum.com)

    To ensure the mycelium development during incubation it is necessary to create an environment similar to that found in nature which is specific for every mushroom species. 

    Further you should focus on:
    • Temperature: should be constant (if possible). You should also keep in mind that temperature requirements are variable for thermophilic and criophilic mushroom species (see table 1) 
    • Humidity: It is recommended to keep humidity at optimum levels (75-80%) by watering the grow room floors and walls from time to time. 
    • Ventilation: A continuous ventilation ensures air circulation and gas ex-change in the grow room. Without equipment this may be achieved by forming a passive air current throughout the grow room. 
    • Light: At this stage is not mandatory.


      Pleurotus ostreatus
      P. ostreatus f. florida
      P. citrinopileatus
      P. eryngii
      Inoculation
      Mycelium quantity/substrate:
      2%
      2%
      2%
      3%
      Incubation
      Temperature : °C
      Temperature: F
      (10)20-24
      (50)68-75.2
      20-22
      68-71.6
      22-29
      71.6-84.2
      23-25
      73.4-77

      Substrate temp.: °C
      Substrate temp.: F
      25-30
      77-86
      25-30
      77-86
      27-32
      80.6-89.6
      25-28
      77-82.4

      Time:
      12-14(22) days
      12-14 days
      10-14 days
      (12)14-18 days
      Pinhead Formation
      Temperature: °C
      Temperature: F
      (8)10-15(20)
      (46.4)20-59(68)
      15-20
      59-68
      15-25(30)
      59-77(86)
      10-18
      50-64.4

      Relative Humidity:
      90-95%
      90-95%
      90-95%
      90-95%
      Fruitbody Conditions
      Temperature : °C
      Temperature: F
      (10)13-20(25)
      (50)55.4-68(77)
      (11)13-20(28)
      (51.8)55.4-68(82.4)
      (13)17-22(28)
      (55.4)62.6-71.6(82.4)  
      14-18(21)
      57.2-64.4(69.8)

      Relative Humidity:
      85%
      85%
      85%
      82-85%

      Concentration of CO2:
      < 1000 ppm
      < 1000 ppm
      < 1000 ppm
      < 1500 ppm

      Light:
      800-1500 lux
      800-1500 lux
      800-1500 lux
      800-1500 lux
      Watering
      No. times/day:
      2-3
      2-3
      2-3
      2

      Period:
      7-10(14) days
      7-10 days
      7-10(14) days
      7-14 days

      Relative Humidity:
      90%
      90-95%
      90-95%
      90%
      Production Cycle
      Period:
      2-3 months
      2-3 months
      2-3 months
      2-3 months


      Note: The beginner mushroom cultivator may ignore some of the require-ments presented in table 1. Since we are discussing backyard mushroom farming, the notes above are rather concerning equipped grow rooms able to offer optimal environmental conditions for mushroom development. Oyster mushroom cultivation is very easy and do not requires much attention.

      Observation: After 3-4 days from inoculation the mycelium growth may be seen. The mycelium hyphae are slowly expanding their surface covering up the substrate. The incubation phase ends with the induction of mushroom primordia formation (pinhead formation). In this moment the mycelium has already covered up the whole compost surface.

      Fig. 23. Oyster mushroom primordia formation 
      (Photo credits: www.fungiforum.com)
      Fig. 24. Primordia of Pleurotus
      (Photo credits: www.fungiforum.com)

      Mushroom Fruitbody Formation & Development

      The mushroom fruitbody formation occurs across the bag surface where we made holes  through the plastic film. At first, they appear as small dark colored pinheads that gradually develop and get lighter in color. If you placed the sack on the ground and the room temperature is rather optimal you may untie the bags at the end and leave them wide open. The fruitbody formation lasts between 4 to 10 days depending on the species, strain and microclimate conditions. However, at this stage you should consider the following aspects:

      Humidity: Now is the moment when the growing mushrooms should be watered through the use of a pressure pump. They should be sprayed 2 to 3 times/day until harvest. If the mushrooms are stagnant in their growth or are getting dried the watering is insufficient. 
      Temperature: Should be constant if possible.
      Ventilation: To prevent fungus drying avoid strong and dry direct airflow in the grow room. 
      Light: It is indispensable at this point for mushroom development, therefore this is very important. If the grow room is a basement and it doesn't have any natural light, then you should use artificial light: neon tubes preferably blue fluorescent of 40W power placed at 2-3 meters / 78.7-118.1 inches above or along the sides of the grow room. Leave them to light up the room from 8 to 12 hours per day.

      Note: Light intensity is important and has direct effect on fruitbody develop-ment. A less intense light affects the mushroom stem making it longer while the cap is getting poorly developed.

      Fig. 25. Mushroom pinhead formation of Pleurotus
      (Photo credits: www.fungiforum.com)

      Fig. 26. Fruitbody development by using artificial light 
      (Photo credits: www.fungiforum.com)

      Harvest

      Mushrooms are harvested after 3-5 days once pinhead formation has occurred. Mature oyster mushrooms consist of well developed fruitbodies lighter in color and with the mushroom cap margin nearly flat. At this point harvest oyster mushrooms by hand twisting the whole mushroom bunch or by cutting the mushroom stem base with a knife. 

      Note: Mushrooms not harvested in time lose their quality. 
      After the first round of mushrooms has been harvested the plastic foil cover-ing the bag may be removed if environmental conditions (especially humidity and airflow) allow this. 
      The harvest is followed by a time gap of 8 to 10 days until the next round of mushrooms; however, this is not a rule because sometimes they appear in a single round. 

      Fig. 27. Oyster mushroom fruitbodies
      (Photo credits: www.fungiforum.com)
      Fig. 28. Harvested oyster mushrooms
      (Photo credits: www.fungiforum.com) 

      How many mushroom production rounds are there?
      Well, there may be 3 to 5 rounds of mushrooms to be harvested (when you have equipment that provides proper environmental conditions for fruitbody devel-opment) or 2 to 3 rounds when you don't use such equipment. 
      The life-cycle of the whole culture should last 1 to 2 months (the case of classical mushroom cultivation). 

      Caution: To prevent respiratory system allergies caused by spore formation in the grow room it will be necessary to use a mask covering up your nose and mouth and a dressing suit only used for this purpose. Billions of spores are released when mushrooms reach the state of maturity. These spores spread all over the grow room and affect the lungs of the unprotected personnel when harvesting mushrooms. In order to avoid air load with spores in the grown room before each harvest you should spray all over with water.  

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