Fungiculture
Cultivating fungi can yield foods (which include mostly mushrooms), medicine, construction materials and other products.
The word is also commonly used to refer to the practice of cultivation of fungi by animals such as leafcutter ants, termites, ambrosia beetles, and marsh periwinkles.
Spores can be contaminated with airborne microorganisms, which will interfere with mushroom growth and prevent a healthy crop.
All mushroom growing techniques require the correct combination of humidity, temperature, substrate (growth medium) and inoculum (spawn or starter culture).
[7] In the Northeastern United States, shiitake mushrooms can be cultivated on a variety of hardwood logs including oak, American beech, sugar maple and hophornbeam.
Seven to ten days after soaking, shiitake mushrooms will begin to fruit and can be harvested once fully ripe.
[9] Indoor mushroom cultivation for the purpose of producing a commercial crop was first developed in caves in France.
The technology for a controlled growth medium and fungal spawn was brought to the UK in the late 1800s in caves created by quarrying near areas such as Bath, Somerset.
[10] Growing indoors allows the ability to control light, temperature and humidity while excluding contaminants and pests.
[11] By the mid-twentieth century this was typically accomplished in windowless, purpose-built buildings, for large-scale commercial production.
"[12][13] Add fertilizer / additivesRemove unwanted NH3.Must be below 27 to 29 °C (80 to 85 °F) to avoid damaging mycelia[13]Allow mycelium to grow through substrate and form a colony.
Induces pinningAdjusting temperature, humidity and CO2 will also affect the number of pins, and mushroom sizeComplete sterilization is not required or performed during composting.
Oyster mushrooms are grown in substrate that comprises sterilized wheat, paddy straw and even used coffee grounds,[14] and they do not require much space compared to other crops.
[15] Oyster mushrooms can also be grown indoors from kits, most commonly in the form of a box containing growing medium with spores.
Bacterial blotch caused by Pseudomonas bacteria or patches of Trichoderma green mold also pose a risk during the fruiting stage.
[23] Trichoderma green mold can affect mushroom production, for example in the mid-1990s in Pennsylvania leading to significant crop losses.
[30] Other mushroom-producing states:[31] The lower Fraser Valley of British Columbia, which includes Vancouver, has a significant number of producers – about 60 as of 1998 – .
[citation needed] Oyster mushroom cultivation is a sustainable business where different natural resources can be used as a substrate.
For this reason there are numerous companies in Europe specialized in mushroom cultivation that are offering training for entrepreneurs and organizing events to build community and share knowledge.
