Tea Tree Mushroom Cultivation Technology（2）

(1) Cultivation Process
Raw material processing → mixing → bagging → sterilization → cooling → inoculation → management during the germination period → budding → management during the fruiting period → harvesting → drying.

(2) Culture Material Processing
Tea tree mushroom cultivation is rich in raw materials, usually with sawdust as the main material, supplemented by cottonseed hulls, wheat bran, rice bran and corn flour. The sawdust needs to be fresh and dry, of moderate thickness and free of mildew. Sawdust is required to be fresh and dry, of moderate coarseness and free of mold. Cottonseed hulls should be fresh and dry, loose in particles, normal in color and free of mold. Wheat bran or rice bran must be fresh, free of mold and free of insects. The following culture medium formulas are commonly used in production:
(I) 36% miscellaneous sawdust, 36% cottonseed hulls, 20% wheat bran, 1% tea seed cake powder or bean cake powder, 5% corn flour, 1% gypsum, and 1% sugar.
(II) 83% cottonseed hulls, 10% wheat bran, 5% corn flour, 1% sugar, and 1% gypsum powder.
(III) 73% miscellaneous sawdust, 20% wheat bran, 5% corn flour, 1% sugar, and 1% gypsum powder.
(IV) 37% sawdust, 37% corn cobs, 23% wheat bran, 1% gypsum powder, 1% sugar, and 1% lime.
(V) Bagasse 39%, cottonseed hull 39%, wheat bran 20%, sugar 1%, gypsum powder 1%.

(3) Mixing Materials
Manual or mechanical mixing, no matter which mixing method is used, the materials must be mixed evenly, that is, the coarse and fine materials are mixed evenly, the dry and wet materials are mixed evenly, and the acid and alkalinity are mixed evenly. Finally, the moisture content and pH value are measured. The moisture content before bagging is about 65%, and the pH value is 7.0~7.5.

(4) Bagging
Bag by hand or by bagging machine, using polyethylene or polyolefin plastic bags of (15~17)cm×(33~38)cm and 0.004cm thick. The material should be slightly compacted, the surface of the material should be flat, and the tightness should be consistent to prevent mushrooms from growing all over the body in the later stage. After bagging, use a punching rod to make a hole about 10cm deep in the center of the material.

(5) Sterilization
Normal pressure steam sterilization: 100℃ for 8~10h, high pressure steam sterilization: 128℃, 0.147MPa for 2h.

(6) Inoculation
Inoculation can be performed when the temperature of the culture medium in the bag drops below 30℃. Strict aseptic operation is required during inoculation. First, remove the 1~2cm old bacteria on the surface and divide the bacteria into bean-sized pieces. The mycelium of Agrocybe aegerita grows a little slowly, so the inoculation amount should be increased. Inoculate 15~20 bags of bacteria per bottle (500mL).

(7) Management of the Fungus Development Period
The culture room should be kept dry during the germination period, and the relative air humidity should not exceed 70%. Frequent ventilation should be carried out to keep the indoor air fresh. The room should be kept dark with weak scattered light. Check the fungus bags thoroughly every 7~10 days, and deal with the fungus bags with contamination of miscellaneous bacteria and other abnormal spawning in time.
The room temperature should be kept at 26~28℃ for the first 7 days after inoculation to promote the germination and colonization of mycelium. After 7 days, the room temperature should be kept at 23~25℃. About 20 days after inoculation, the mycelium on the outer surface of the material is full, and the mycelium inside is short of oxygen, the growth rate is slow, and some even stop growing. At this time, tools such as iron nails and needle cones can be used to puncture holes for oxygenation. 1~2 days after puncturing, the mycelium grows vigorously, releasing a lot of heat, causing the bag temperature to rise. Be sure to take appropriate cooling measures to avoid burning the fungus. Generally, the mycelium is fully grown at the appropriate temperature 40~50 days after inoculation.