WITHOUT LEAVES,

WITHOUT BUDS, WITHOUT

FLOWERS:
YET THEY FORM FRUIT.
AS A MEDICINE, AS A FOOD,
AS A TONIC:
THE ENTIRE CREATION IS
PRECIOUS.
MUSHROOM IS A
MACROFUNGUS WITH A
DISTINCTIVE FRUITING BODY
WHICH CAN BE EITHER
EPIGEOUS OR HYPOGEUOS
AND LARGE ENOUGH TO BE
SEEN WITH NAKED EYE AND
TO BE PICKED BY HAND.
Mushroom Structure
Life Cycle
 Mushrooms may be
Unpalatable, and others
even poisonous, the
mushrooms of many
species are not only
edible but delicious and
nutritious.
 Truffles
Tuber melanosporum
Boletus, cep
 Important wild edible
mushrooms in Pakistan
Black morels, Morchella species

Khumbi, Podaxis pistillaris

Khappa, Phellorina inquinanse

Khamiri, Agaricus bitorquis

Black morels, Morchella species

Appears in Northern
Areas after snow
melts.
60-70 tons of morels
exported annually.
 Khamiri, Agaricus bitorquis

Wild edible
mushroom of
Baluchistan, used
for eating by local
inhabitants.
 Khumbi
Podaxis pistillaris
 Importance
 It is not land dependant as it is
grown indoor.
 Medicinal and nutritional value
 Grown on waste materials
 Can be developed as cottage
industry
 Source of income
 Export potential
Before becoming involved
consider the following questions
How do mushrooms grow?
What is the mushrooms industry?
Why grow mushrooms?
What knowlelge and training are necessary?
What problems may be consider in growing
and marketing.
Where can you get for further information?
How do mushrooms grow?

 In nature Mushrooms appear infrequently.

Fungi which can produce mushrooms do so
only when nutritional and environmental
conditions are right.
 Mushroom cultivation requires firstly the
preparation of substrates and secondly
management of growing environments.
 Present Status of Mushroom Industry in
Pakistan

 At present, mushrooms are generally

cultivated in underdeveloped agricultural
areas using simple low-cost methods mostly
under natural conditions with low labour
costs, frequently as a part time activity.
Standard methods for Agaricus cultivation
are adopted for small-scale production in
some parts of Pakistan.
Why grow mushrooms?
 To provide full-time occupation and primary
source of income.
 As a part-time occupation & secondary income.
 To utilize existing facilities such as building or
stores not currently in use.
 To efficiency in a complemantary business.
 To utilize more fully existing marketing and
distribution systems.
 For life-cycle change, perhaps to ‘get back to
nature’ growing a crop with strong natural
rhythm.
 Important Cultivated
Mushrooms
 Button mushroom, Agaricus species
 Oyster, Pleurotus species
 Shiitake, Lentinus edodes
 Straw mushroom, Volvariella
volvacea
 Wood’ear, Auricularia species
 Winter mushroom, Flammulina
velutipes
Capital requirements

 Mushroom production requires considerable

capital outlay.
 You have to consider whether to convert
existing buildings for mushroom growing.
 This also depends upon the type of
production system to be adopted
Variable costs

 For the purchase of spawn

 For the purchase of substrates for the
preparation of composts.
 Capital investment for the construction of
building and purchase of machinery.
 Energy costs
 Labour costs
Production systems

Which production system you

will choose? Some requires
high investments, other less,
but you must exceed a break
even yield to be profitable.
Training
A start-up programme and
training is essential before any
new production system unit will
achieve economic yield.
 Problems
 Pests and diseases can be
devastating and their control in
mushroom is a constant cost which is
involved and complicated.
 Growers cannot depend chemical
pesticides as the crop is extremely
sensitive.
Marketing
 Market outlets must be assured before
beginning. These requires continuous supply
which involves accurate crop programming.
Having grown a crop, it needs to be harvested
‘seven days a week’.
 There is room only for top quality mushrooms.
 A new producer must rely on whole-sale
markets. Initially due to lack of continuity and
high quality direct outlets cannot be
contemplated.
Some Important cultivated Mushroom

 Oyster Mushroom Pleurotus Species

 Button Mushroom, Agaricus

bisporus/bitorquis

 Shiitake Mushroom, Lentinus edodes

 Straw Mushroom, Volvariella volvacea

Oyster Mushroom
Natural Growth on Logs
Nutritional Value

 Source of proein (25-35% on dry wt., basis)

 Source of vitamin B,C and niacin
 Very low fat contents
Medicinal value
 Anti-tumor (tumor reduction and control)
 Immune response (boost bodies ability to fight
disease)
 Anti-inflammatory (relief tension due to muscle
inflammation)
 Antiviral (as an immune response)
 Antibiotics (as an immune response)
 Lower cholestrol and triglycerol levels as well as
very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) in blood
plasma
Substrates

 Cotton Waste
 Paddy straw
 Wheat straw
 Cotton Boll locules
 Dry banana leaves
Growing Techniques

Soaking and fermentation of

Substrates
Filling in trays or bags
Pasteurization
Spawning
Management of crop
Addition of water

The Straw or other materials

are chopped and partly
shredded and then mixed with
water. The optimum water
content is about 70%.
 Soaking and fermentation of
cotton waste
 Cotton waste is soaked in water.
 5% wheat straw may also be mixed.
 Lime 2% is added.
 The mixture is piled up and covered
with plastic sheet for 4-6 days.
Soaking
Fermentation
Containers for cultivation

 Oyster mushroom can be

grown in plastic or
polypropylene bags as well
as in vertical or horizontal
trays.
 Heat treatment
(Sterilization and pasteurization)

 In order to destroy the vegetative

form of competing microorganisms,
the substrate is subjected to
sterilization or pasteurization.
 Hot water treatment

Wheat or paddy straw can be treated

with hot water (65°C ± 5°C) for 10
minutes to one hour. The excess
water is drained off and discarded.
Steaming in drums

 Sterilization by steaming at 100°C in

drums is more acceptable because cost is
low.
 Steam the bags for 1-2 hours depending
upon the substrate and volume.
Pasteurization in Drums
Pasteurization by using
steam generator
Substrate filled bags or
containers are placed in a
room. Steam is introduced
into the room from steam
generator and the bags or
containers are kept at 58-
60°C for 4-6 hours.
Pasteurazation by steam
generator
Pasteurization: Inner view
 Spawning
Mixing of spawn into
the substrate is
called spawning
Grain spawn
 After the heat treatment is completed and the
substrate has cooled down to 20-25°C it can
be inoculated.
 Pure culture grain spawn is commonly used.
The quantity of spawn can be varies from 1-
1.5% on the wet weight of the substrate.
 Method of spawning
• Through spawning: Spawn is
mixed through out the substrate.

• Surface spawning: Spawn is

placed on top of the substrate. It is
generally recommended for bag
cultivation.
Spawning
Spawned bag
 Tying
 The mouth of the bags is tied
loosely with thread or rubber
bands.
 Small holes should be made
in bigger plastic bags.
 Plastic foil is used for
covering the trays.
Tying
 Incubation

The spawned bags are then kept

preferably in a dark room until the
mycelium has fully penetrated the
substrate downward. It takes about 3-
4 weeks.
During spawn running stage the
temperature is ranged between 25-
28°C.
Incubation
Rows of Plastic Bags
Spawn running
Fructification or cropping

 Fructification or fruit-body formation is started

as soon as the substrate is fully impregnated
with mycelial growth.
 Ventilation, temperature and relative humidity
play important role.
 By means of ventilation the temperature is
decreased to desired level.
Completion of spawn running
 Temperature
The optimum temperature for
pin-head formation and
development of fruit-body of
different Pleurotus species is
ranged between 16-26°C.
 Relative humidity
 Desired relative humidity
during the formation of
pinheads should be 90-95%.

 It should be lowered to 80-

85% during the development
of fruit bodies.
 Production trend
• The mushrooms produce in
flushes.
• The first flush gives higher yield.
• There are total 3-5 flushes.
• The interval between the flushes is
8-12 days.
 Production
 Production depend on the types of
substrates used, environmental
control systems and personal
experience.

 The yield varies between 25-100%

calculated in proportion to the dry
weight of the substrate,
Pin head formation
Mushroom development
Picking stage
Growing in box
Vertical containers
Cropping
Cropping
Cropping
Cropping
Cultivation on wheat straw
beds
Cropping
White Oyster, P. ostreatus
Grey tree oyster, P. ostreatus
Phoenix oyster, P. sajor-caju
Golden oyster, P. cornucopiae
P. citrinopileatus
Pink oyster, P. flabellatus
King Oyster, P. eryngii
Growing on logs
Pleurotus ostreatus in plastic
bottles
Oyster Mushroom Farm, Korea
Inside view
Mushroom growing
Watering
Oyster Mushroom Farm,
Horst, The Netherlands
Inner View, Cultivation in
trays
 Harvesting
 Oyster mushroom
should be
harvested before
the mushrooms
show slightly
curled edges.
 Button Mushroom
The mostly widely grown
mushroom of the world
Production

 Grown in Europe, USA, China and many

other countries.

 China is the main producer.

 It accounted 32% of the total world

supply
 Phases of mushroom
technology
Compost preparation
Pasteurization
Spawning
Spawn running
Casing
Strategies for pin-head formation
Management of crop and harvesting
 Composting
The purpose of composting is to
prepare a nutritious medium of
such characteristics that the
growth of mushroom mycelium
is promoted to the practical
exclusion of competitor
organisms.
 Types of compost
 Horse manure compost: When
horse manure is used as basic
ingredient or cereal straw is
gathered from horse stables.
 Synthetic compost: It refers to
compost using no horse manure.
 Supplements
Composting is a process of microbial
decomposition.
Microbes present in the compost
need only the addition of water to
become active. Nutrients are also
added to enhance their growth.
The supplements provide nitrogen
and carbohydrates for microbial
activity.
 COMPOST FORMULA

Wheat Straw 1000 Kg

Chicken manure 400 Kg
Gypsum 35 Kg
Urea 7 Kg
Composting
Composting
End of composting
Filling
Pasturization
Pasteurization-inner view
Spawning
Covering
Spawn running
Completion of spawn running
Preparation of peat soil for
casing
Spreading of casing soil
Casing soil has been applied
Watering after casing
Mycelial growth on casing soil
Mushroom formation
Further development
Cropping
Commercial white button
ommercial white button
Commercial crimini
Commercial crimini
Portebello Mushrom
Commercial Portebello
Commercial Portebello
High temperature
Button Mushroom
Harvesting
Row of Mushroom Houses
Shelves
Mushroom House-Installation
of Shelves
Mushroom House-Inner View
Chinese Mushroom
Small tropical and subtropical
edible mushroom having a white
cap and long stem; an expensive
delicacy in China and other Asian
countries where it is grown
commercially
Outdoor Cutivation
Shiitake Mushroom
Spawn Technology
 Spawn
Spawn is seed of
mushroom and
successful mushroom
production depends
upon good quality
spawn
Mushroom culture Laboratory
is working on a broad range
of strains capable of
producing fruit-bodies of
high productivity and good
characters.
Main objectives of spawn research
1. Maintenance of viability for longer
period, thus permitting survival of the
cultures.

2. Maintenance of genetic, morphological

and physiological stability, thus
increasing the preservation of strain
characteristics of scientific and
commercial importance.

3. Maintenance of culture purity so that

spawn is free of other microorganisms
and viruses.
 Spore Production

Spores produces on
lamellae or gills
when the fruit-body
matures
Spore Print
Development of strains by mycelial
transfusion
Spawn
Where you can go for help?

Mushroom lab,
Institute of Horticultural Sciences,
University of Agriculture,
Faisalabad
has advisers who can answer any
question relating to mushroom
growing
From Mushroom Lab you can get
information on

 Specialist financial advice for your

proposals
 Advise on building or environmental
control
 Crop advise, both on site and by
telephone
 Up-to-date recommendations for pests
and disease problems
 Help in many other areas relevant to
mushroom production
 Address
Dr. Muhammad Asif Ali
Associate Professor and Research
Scientist Mushrooms
Mushroom Lab,
Institute of Horticultural Sciences,
University of Agriculture,
Faisalabad.
Tel
Off: 041-9200161-70 Ext. 2907,4041
Res:041-8727885
Mobile: 0300-7608823
Email: masifali@hotmail.com