Gypsum is added at the outset of composting at 40 lb per ton of dry ingredients. The exclusion of air results in an airless (anaerobic) environment in which deleterious chemical compounds are formed which detract from the selectivity of mushroom compost for growing mushrooms. A side benefit of this phenomenon is that air can permeate the pile more readily, and air is essential to the composting process. Gypsum increases the flocculation of certain chemicals in the compost, and they adhere to straw or hay rather than filling the pores (holes) between the straws. Gypsum is added to minimize the greasiness compost normally tends to have. Wheat straw should be stored under cover to minimize growth of unwanted and potentially detrimental fungi and bacteria prior to its use to produce compost. The geographical source of wheat straw, the variety (winter or spring) and the use of nitrogen fertilizer, plant growth regulators and fungicides may affect compost productivity. The quality of raw materials used to make mushroom compost are highly variable and are known to influence compost performance in terms of spawn run and mushroom yield. This is why water and supplements are added periodically, and the compost pile is aerated as it moves through the turner.
There must be adequate moisture, oxygen, nitrogen, and carbohydrates present throughout the process, or else the process will stop. These events result in a food source most suited for the growth of the mushroom to the exclusion of other fungi and bacteria. Mushroom compost develops as the chemical nature of the raw ingredients is converted by the activity of microorganisms, heat, and some heat-releasing chemical reactions. Loose straw ready for incorporation into compost windrow (top left) compost windrow (top right) aerated Phase I compost wharf under roof (note groves in concrete, bottom left) grove showing aeration nozzle (bottom right, arrow). The use of forced aeration, where the compost is placed on a concrete floor or in tunnels or bunkers and aerated by the forced passage of air via a plenum, nozzles or spigots located in the floor has become nearly universal in the mushroom industry (Fig. Heat, ammonia, and carbon dioxide are released as by-products during this process. Once the pile is wetted and formed, aerobic fermentation (composting) commences as a result of the growth and reproduction of microorganisms, which occur naturally in the bulk ingredients. Nitrogen supplements and gypsum are spread over the top of the bulk ingredients and are thoroughly mixed by the turner. Water is sprayed onto the horse manure or synthetic compost as these materials move through the turner. Normally, the bulk ingredients are put through a compost turner. Phase I composting is initiated by mixing and wetting the ingredients as they are stacked in a rectangular pile with tight sides and a loose center. The discussion of compost preparation and mushroom production begins with Phase I composting. The preparation of compost occurs in two steps referred to as Phase I and Phase II composting. Both types of compost require the addition of nitrogen supplements and a conditioning agent, gypsum. Synthetic compost is usually made from hay and wheat straw, although the term often refers to any mushroom compost where the prime ingredient is not horse manure. Two types of material are generally used for mushroom compost, the most used and least expensive being wheat straw-bedded horse manure. Compost provides nutrients needed for mushrooms to grow. These steps are described in their naturally occurring sequence, emphasizing the salient features within each step. The six steps are Phase I composting, Phase II composting, spawning, casing, pinning, and cropping. Mushroom farming consists of six steps, and although the divisions are somewhat arbitrary, these steps identify what is needed to form a production system. Trends such as use of forced aeration Phase I, Phase II tunnels, Phase III bulk spawn run, casing inoculum, compost supplementation, hybrids, improved nutritional status of mushrooms, and alternative uses of post-crop mushroom compost necessitates an updated, reorganized, and expanded second edition of Six Steps to Mushroom Farming. The second edition of Six Steps to Mushroom Farming recognizes that much progress in mushroom farming has taken place over the last 25 years since the original edition was published.
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