Effects of different casing onto the yield of button mushroom

Abstract

In Europe and Hungary Agaricus bisporus is the most widely cultivated mushroom. Because of the competition on the market and the increasing costs of production is necessary to optimize the cultivation conditions and develop its intensive production technologies. The casing of the substrate is a critical and essential part of the intensive cultivaion technologies. The casing layer is important because it helps to protect the substrate from some pathogens and also balances the alternating temperature. More than 90% of the button mushroom fruitbody is water and thus mainly supplied by the casing. This casing soil contains the essential microbiota for primordia formation like Pseudomonas putida which has an important role in pin head stage. Casing soils origine from different source, mainly bogs or fens. The major component of casing soil is usually some kind of peat, like Sphagnum peat or black peat and lime. There is many contradiction about the effect of this casing soils onto the mushroom production during cultivation. In this study, we collected 7 different casing soils from farmers and casing soil producers (1 Dutch, 2 Polish, 2 Romanian and 2 Hungarian) and monitored the changes of its electric conductivity (EC) and pH during a small-scale cultivation, and examined this casings effects onto the yield. According our experiment the pH had been decreasing and the electric conductivity had been increasing during the cultivation. There were no significant differences between the casings in the total yield, but our results underlined that quality of casing has a major importance in the mushroom cultivation.