Bag Type Rack Facility Cultivation（2）

The natural habitat of wood-saprophytic fungi, such as shiitake mushrooms, is directly on logs or wooden blocks, where they grow and develop. In contrast, grass-saprophytic fungi, including varieties like button mushrooms, bamboo fungi, and others, require a layer of soil to form their fruiting bodies. This fundamental difference in cultivation methods is critical to understanding the unique requirements for successful mushroom production.

Wood-Saprophytic Fungi Cultivation on Shelves

Wood-saprophytic fungi, such as the widely cultivated Pleurotus (oyster mushroom) and shiitake mushrooms, thrive on lignin-rich materials like logs or sawdust. For shelf-based cultivation, these fungi are typically inoculated into wooden substrates and require stable humidity and temperature conditions for optimal growth. Their mycelium colonizes the substrate, and eventually, the fruiting bodies form on the surface of the inoculated wood. The shelf-based cultivation setup is highly efficient, especially for wood-dependent species, allowing for controlled environments and higher yields.

Grass-Saprophytic Fungi Cultivation with Soil Covering

Grass-saprophytic fungi, including species like button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus), bamboo fungi (bamboo mycelium), and other varieties such as Coprinus comatus (shaggy mane mushroom) and straw mushrooms, require soil or a similar covering material to thrive. These species typically grow in substrates like straw or compost, which, when covered with a layer of soil, allow the formation of primordia (the initial stage of fruiting body development). If not covered, these fungi struggle to form fruiting bodies and fail to produce high yields.

In grass-saprophytic fungi cultivation, the mycelium bundles, which are present at the base of the fruiting bodies, are key to successful growth. The primordia develop either within or just below the soil layer. Without this soil covering, it becomes challenging to achieve high productivity, as the absence of this layer hinders the formation of the fruiting bodies.

Case Study: Button Mushroom (Agaricus bisporus)

Button mushrooms are typically cultivated in multi-layer shelving systems. A common setup involves 6 layers, with spacing between layers of 55-60 cm and shelf width of 110 cm. The cultivation beds use a nutrient-rich substrate weighing approximately 200 kg per square meter, with a bed thickness of 20 cm. Under optimal conditions, these setups can yield up to 35 kg per square meter over three flushes of fruiting bodies, demonstrating the efficiency and high yield potential of this method.