Oyster Mushroom Cultivation: Why Do Mushrooms Shrink?
(Essential Knowledge for Farmers)
As an oyster mushroom farmer, have you ever wondered why your mushrooms grow into deformed shapes? These conditions can occur due to environmental factors, nutritional imbalances, or infections.
🔎 Here are the main reasons for mushroom shrinkage:
1️⃣ Imbalanced Temperature
👉 Optimal growth temperature: 24∘C–28∘C 👉 Above : Mushrooms become deformed. 👉 Below : Growth stops.
✅ Solution: Maintain the correct temperature in your grow house.
2️⃣ Poor Ventilation
👉 Lack of ventilation: Leads to CO₂ accumulation. 👉 Mushrooms do not develop properly.
✅ Solution: Every grow house should have a good ventilation system.
3️⃣ Excessive or Insufficient Humidity
👉 Optimal humidity: 85%–90% 👉 Above : Mushrooms appear waterlogged. 👉 Too low: They dry out and shrink.
✅ Solution: Check humidity daily and ensure it remains at the optimal level.
4️⃣ Imbalanced Nutrient Composition
👉 Excessive rice bran: Inhibits mycelial development.
✅ Solution: ∙ Wood dust: Main ingredient. ∙ Rice bran: Approximately 10%–12%. ∙ Gypsum and lime: Use in correct proportions.
5️⃣ Incompatible Lighting
👉 Excessive direct sunlight: Burns the mushrooms. 👉 Insufficient light: Leads to long, leggy stems.
✅ Solution: Design your grow house to receive daily filtered light.
6️⃣ Infections (Fungal / Bacterial)
👉 Trichoderma (Green mold), bacterial blotch. 👉 White, brown, or black spots appear. 👉 Mushrooms shrink.
✅ Solution: ∙ Ensure proper sterilization. ∙ Perform spawn inoculation in a sterile environment. ∙ Immediately remove infected bags.
7️⃣ Mite Infestation 🐛
👉 Pests like Tarsonemus myceliophagus feed on mycelium within the bags. 👉 They consume stems and caps, leading to discoloration and deformation. 👉 Mushrooms appear waterlogged.
✅ Solution: ∙ Keep the grow house clean. ∙ Properly steam the substrate mixture. ∙ Ensure good ventilation. ∙ If necessary, use natural mite control agents like neem oil.
8️⃣ Errors in Steaming / Sterilization & Spawn Inoculation
👉 Inadequate steaming. 👉 Improper cooling process. 👉 Spawn contamination → growth failure → malformed mushrooms.
✅ Solution: ∙ Steam for 4 hours at 100∘C.
In Conclusion
For successful mushroom cultivation, temperature, humidity, ventilation, light, nutrition, infection control, and mite protection are essential.
By properly managing all these factors, you can achieve beautiful, marketable mushrooms without deformities.
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