Paddy Straw Mushroom Prodn

CULTIVATION TECHNOLOGY OF

PADDY STRAW MUSHROOM

(Volvariella volvacea)

Technical Bulletin

O.P. AhlawatR.P. Tewari

National Research Centre for Mushroom(Indian Council of Agricultural Research)

Chambaghat, Solan-173 213 (HP)

Printed: 2007, 1000 Copies

Published by:DirectorNational Research Centre for Mushroom (ICAR)Chambaghat, Solan – 173 213 (HP), INDIAPhone: 01792-230451; Fax: 01792-231207E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]: nrcmushroom.org

N.R.C.M. 2007All rights reserved. No part of this technical bulletin may be reproducedin any form or by any means without prior permission in writingfrom the competent authority.

Designed & Printed at:Yugantar Prakashan Pvt. Ltd.WH-23, Mayapuri Indl. Area, New Delhi-64Ph.: 011-28115949, 28116018

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CONTENTS

Page No.

Foreward v

Preface vii

1. Introduction 1

2. Nutritive Value 5

3. Spawn Production 7

4. Cultivation Technology 14

a. Conventional Method 14

b. Improved Cage Method 17

c. Outdoor Method 18

d. Indoor Method 20

e. Circular Method 24

f. Indigenous Chinese Method 25

5. Harvesting and Processing 27

6. Diseases and Insect-Pests Management 29

7. Conclusion 32

8. References 33

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FOREWARD

Mushrooms are known for their delicacy and nutritional valuesand paddy straw mushroom is not an exception. This mushroomprefers tropical and sub-tropical climates, so it has great potential ina country like India, where diverse climatic conditions prevail. Thefast growing nature, easy cultivation technology and greatacceptability at consumers’ level further make this mushroom animportant species among the cultivated edible mushrooms. Paddystraw mushroom is commonly grown on paddy straw and cottonwaste, which are available in abundance and at a very low cost in thecountry. The adoption of this mushroom will bring the well neededdiversification and will provide the nutritional food at a cheaper ratethan many other foods of similar nature. I appreciate the efforts andlabour put in by the authors in compiling and editing the bulletinfor its use at farmers’ level. I would also like to encourage the farmersto adopt this mushroom for getting the better revenue out of theagrowaste available at their door-step.

Rajendra Prasad TewariDirectorNational Research Centre for

Dated: August, 2007 Mushroom, Solan – 173 213 (HP)

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PREFACE

Paddy straw mushroom (Volvariella volvacea) also known asChinese mushroom, ranks sixth among the cultivated mushroomsof the world. Being started cultivating in 1940 at Coimbatore, thismushroom could not make much head way with the time except insome coastal states like Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, TamilNadu and Kerala. This mushroom has several advantages likerequirement of the tropical or sub-tropical climate, fast growth rate,easy cultivation technology and good acceptability at consumers’ level.The raw materials required for its cultivation are also available inabundance in country at very nominal rates. The high temperaturerequirement for its cultivation also makes it a good choice for adoptionin round the year cultivation of mushrooms. Paddy straw mushroomcontains good amount of protein, crude fibres and ash, all make it ahealth diet along with superior composition of various elements andessential amino acids.

This bulletin contains the biology and life cycle of paddy strawmushroom, spawn preparation technology, cultivation methods, keypoints for better crop management, harvesting/processing, diseasesand insect–pests management and the list of books for furtherconsultation. All in all, the necessary points needed for starting thecultivation of this mushroom have been covered along with gooddiagrammatic and pictorial presentations which make the taskunderstandable and easier for the mushroom growers and R & Dpersonnel.

During the process of writing of this bulletin, starting from theconceptualization of the idea, I got constant support from variouscolleagues which is praise worthy. But amongst these, the typing/composing support rendered by Mrs. Shashi Poonam and Mr. PardeepGupta is very special. I got significant contribution from Dr. M.P.Sagarand Dr S.R. Sharma, both of them helped us without any hesitationin guiding for further improvement and editing of the document.

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Last but not the least, the constant encouragement from Dr. R.P.Tewari, Director, National Research Centre for Mushroom, thoughhe is one of the authors, really motivated me to take up such a timeconsuming task. Once again I wish to thank all those who helped medirectly or indirectly in bringing out this bulletin.

O.P. Ahlawat

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Cultivation Technology of Paddy Straw Mushroom (Volvariella volvacea)

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CHAPTER - I

Introduction

Paddy straw mushroom(Volvariella volvacea), commonlyknown as the straw mushroom,or the Chinese mushroom,belongs to the family Pluteaceae(Kotl. & Pouz) of theBasidiomycetes (Singer, 1961). Itis an edible mushroom of tropicsand subtropics, and firstcultivated in China in 1822(Chang, 1969). Initially thismushroom was known as“Nanhua mushroom” after thename of Nanhua Temple inNorthern Guangdong Province inChina. In the beginning, paddystraw mushroom was cultivatedby Buddhist monks for their owntable, however, by 1875 it was sentas a tribute to the royal family. Itis presumed that cultivation ofthis mushroom begun before the18th century, almost 300 years ago(Chang, 1977). Around 1932 to1935, this mushroom wasintroduced into the Philippines,Malaysia and other South Asiancountries by Chinese (Baker,1934; Chang, 1974).

Paddy straw mushroom is alsoknown as “warm mushroom” asit grows at relatively hightemperature. It is a fast growingmushroom and under favourablegrowing conditions total cropcycle is completed with in 4-5weeks time. This mushroom canuse wide range of cellulosicmaterials and the C: N rationeeded is 40 to 60, quite high incomparison to other cultivatedmushrooms. It can be grown quitequickly and easily onuncomposted substrates such aspaddy straw and cotton waste orother cellulosic organic wastematerials (Ahlawat & Kumar,2005). It has been considered asone of the easiest mushrooms tocultivate. Paddy straw mushroomwas first cultivated in India in1940, however, its systematiccultivation was first attempted in1943. Presently this mushroomis more popular in coastal stateslike Orissa, Andhra Pradesh,Tamil Nadu, Kerala and WestBengal, however, it can also be

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cultivated in most of the states,where agroclimatic conditionssuit and agrowaste is available inplenty.

LIFE CYCLE AND GENETICS OFBREEDING SYSTEM

In contrast to green plants,most mushroom species arehaploid, and diploid phase isnormally transient and restrictedto the basidium. Paddy strawmushroom has distinction fromother mushrooms. Beinghomothallic species, theindividual uninucleate haploidself fertile spores germinate toproduce mycelia and completesthe life cycle without the need ofa mating type factor. Clampconnections are entirely absent inVolvariella spp. In V. volvacea, thehyphal cells are multinucleate,clamp connections are absentand basidiospore receives onlyone nucleus each followingmeiosis. Wide variation exists ingrowth rate and othercharacteristics of single sporemycelia. It is still difficult to callthis mushroom as primaryhomothallic as the researchcarried out by different workershave given different explanationsbehind existence of self fertilityamong majority of the

basidiospores and non-existencein minority of the basidiospores.

BIOLOGICALCHARACTERISTICS

The fruiting body of the paddystraw mushroom is divided intosix different developmental stagesviz., pinhead, tiny button, button,egg, elongation and mature stage.Each has its own morphology andanatomy.

1. Pinhead stage: The pinheadstage is of the size of a pinheadin which the veil is spotlesslywhite (Fig. 1). In verticalsection, the pileus and stipeare not visible. The wholestructure is a knot of hyphalcells.

2. Tiny button: Both the tinybutton and pinhead stages areformed from interwovenhyphae. In a young tinybutton, only the top of the veilis brown, while the rest iswhite (Fig. 1). It is round inshape and if a vertical cut ismade through the button, thelamellae are seen as a narrowband on the lower surface ofpileus.

3. Button stage: This stage ofpaddy straw mushroom is sold

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in the market at a premiumprice. In this stage, the wholestructure is wrapped by a coat,which is called as the universalveil (Fig. 1). Inside the veil,closed pileus exists. As suchthe stipe is not visible but inlongitudinal section ofmushroom it is visible.

4. Egg stage: This stage alsofetches premium price in themarket, at this stage, the pileusis pushed out of the veil andthe veil remains as volva (Fig.2). The stipe is again notvisible at this stage. Thelamellae of this stage do notbear basidiospores. The sizeof the pileus remains verysmall upto this stage.

5. Elongation stage: The pileusremains close and the size issmaller than mature stage,

while the stipe attains themaximum length (Fig. 2). Thestipe is marked with waterproof drawing ink.

6. Mature stage: At mature stage,the structure is divided intothree regions: (i) the pileus orcap, (ii) stipe or stalk and (iii)the volva or cup (Fig. 3). Thepileus is connected in the

Fig. 1.

Fig. 2.

Fig. 3.

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centre with stipe and is ofusually 6 to 12 cm in diameter.

The fully grown pileus iscircular in shape with an entiremargin and smooth surface. Thesurface is dark grey at centre andlight grey near the margin. Thelower surface of the pileus bearslamellae and their number variesfrom 280 to 380. The lamellaevary in size from full size to onequarter size of pileus. Under themicroscope, each lamella is seento be composed of three layers ofinterwoven hyphae. Theoutermost layer is called thehymenium and it forms the club-shaped basidia and the cystedia.The basidia bear basidiospores.Usually one basidium bears fourbasidiospores. The basidiosporesvary in shape; egg shaped,

spherical or ellipsoidal. Thecolour of basidiospores again varyand it may be of light yellow, pinkor dark brown.

Another important part ofmature fruiting body is the stipe,which connects the volva and thepileus. The length of the stipedepends upon the size of thepileus and it is usually about 3to 8 cm in length and 0.5 to 1.5cm in diameter. It is white, fleshyand without any annulus. At thebase of stipe remains the volva,which is basically a thin sheet ofinterwoven hyphae around thebulbous base of the stipe. Thevolva is fleshy, white and cupshaped with irregular margins.The base of volva bearsrhizomorphs, which absorb thenutrition from the substrate.

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CHAPTER - II

Nutritive Value

The excellent unique flavourand textural characteristicsdistinguish this mushroom fromother edible mushrooms. Thenutritive value of strawmushroom is affected by themethod of crop raising and thestages of maturation. Theavailable data reveal that on freshweight basis, it contains around

90% water, 30-43% crude protein,1-6% fat, 12-48% carbohydrates,4-10% crude fibre and 5.13% ash.The fat content increases with thematuration stage and a fullymature fruiting body contains ashigh as 5% fat. The N-freecarbohydrates increase frombutton stage to the egg stagelevels, off at the elongation anddrops at the mature stage. Thecrude fibre remains almost atsame level in first three stages andincreases at mature stage. Theegg stage contains highest levelof protein which decreases atmature stage. Ash contentremains almost similar at all thedevelopmental stages.

The straw mushroom is knownto be rich in minerals such aspotassium, sodium andphosphorus. Potassiumconstitutes the major fraction ofmajor elements followed bysodium and calcium. The levelsof K, Ca and Mg remain almostsame at different developmentalstages except that of Na & P which

Table 1. Proximate composition of paddystraw mushroom

Content Composition (quantity/100g fresh mushroom)

Moisture 90.40 (g)

Fat 0.25 (g)

Protein 3.90 (g)

Crude fibre 1.87 (g)

Ash 1.10 (g)

Phosphorus 0.10 (g)

Potassium 0.32 (g)

Iron 1.70 (g)

Calcium 5.60 (mg)

Thiamine 0.14 (mg)

Riboflavin 0.61 (mg)

Niacin 2.40 (mg)

Ascorbic acid 18.00 (mg)

(Verma, 2002)

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drop at the elongation and themature stages. The contents ofminor elements, namely Cu, Znand Fe do not vary much atdifferent stages of development.

The levels of thiamin andriboflavin in paddy strawmushroom are lower thanAgaricus bisporus and Lentinula

edodes, while niacin is at par withthese two mushrooms (FAO,1972; Chang, 1979). At allstages, lysine is the mostabundant essential amino acidand glutamic acid and asparticacid are the most abundant non-essential amino acids.Tryptophan and methionine arelowest among essential aminoacids. The level of phenylalanineincreases nearly one fold atelongation stage, while lysinedecreases to about half of its valueat the button stage. The strawmushroom is comparable to thatof other mushrooms both in termsof amino acid composition andthe percentage of essential amino

acids in the total amino acids. Infact, paddy straw mushroomcontains high percentage ofessential amino acids incomparison to other mushroomsand the abundance of lysine isvery important. The other threeamino acids namely leucine,isoleucine and methionine are lowin paddy straw mushroom ascompared to other mushrooms.

Table 2. Amino acid contents of paddystraw mushroom

Amino acid Composition (mg/100g protein)

Leucine 3.5

Isoleucine 5.5

Valine 6.8

Tryptophane 1.1

Lysine 4.3

Histidine 2.1

Phenylalanine 4.9

Threonine 4.2

Arginine 4.1

Methionine 0.9

(Zakia Bano et al.,1972; Verma, 2002)

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CHAPTER - III

Spawn Production

Spawn is the mycelium ofmushrooms growing in itssubstratum and prepared for thepurpose of propagatingmushroom production. In a moresimple language, it is defined asa medium impregnated withmushroom mycelium that servesas the “seed” for mushroomcultivation. The different stagesof spawn production are asfollows:

i. STARTING CULTURE

The starting culture can beobtained from any authorizedagency or can be raised by any ofthe following three methods:-

A) SINGLE SPORE CULTURETECHNIQUE

� Selection of unopenedmushroom fruiting body,removing dirt with clean cottonfollowed by wiping ofmushroom with 70% alcohol& removing lower portion ofstipe with sharp edged knife.

� Placing the fruiting body onpointed end of spiral wirestand placed in a sterilizedpetridish and covering thewhole unit with round mouthbeaker.

� Leaving the whole assembly for30 minutes at roomtemperature and removing thebeaker as well as the fruitingbody along with spiral wirestand under a laminar flowchamber followed by coveringof petridish aseptically.

� Serial dilution of sporecollection upto 10-7 or 10-8 till10-20 spore/ml count reachedand pouring with molten plainagar medium in sterilizedpetridishes.

� Incubation of dishes at 32 ±20C in BOD incubator for 3-4days and visualization ofgermlings under invertedmicroscope for single sporeisolates selection.

� Selection of single sporeisolates and multiplying on

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Malt Extract Agar (MEA)medium by incubating at 32± 20C for next 7-10 days inBOD incubator (Fig. 4).

C) TISSUE CULTURETECHNIQUE

� Disinfection of working areaand hands with disinfectantand wiping of mushroomfruiting body with 70%alcohol.

� Making two equal halves ofmushroom with the help ofsterilized but cooled knifewithout touching the innersurface of mushroom fruitingbody.

� Removing small pieces oftissue from the stipe pileusconnecting point and placingseveral pieces on the MaltExtract Agar plate on differentlocations.

� Incubation of plates at 32 ±20C for 4 to 5 days in BODincubator or roomtemperature (Fig. 5).

Fig. 4.

B) MULTISPORE CULTURETECHNIQUE

� The sterilized loop ofinoculation needle is used forlifting of the spores from thespore print.

� The loop bearing thousands ofspores is touched on topsurface of the petridishescontaining the Malt ExtractAgar or any other fungalmedia, followed by incubationof plates at 32 ± 20C for 4-5days in BOD incubator.

Fig. 5.

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� Transferring of smallmycelium bearing portion ofmedium on the fresh MEAslants followed by incubationat 32 ± 20C for further 4-5days.

� Use of cultures directly inspawn substrate.

ii. CULTURE MEDIA

There are several media onwhich the mushroom culturescan grow, the compositions ofwhich are given below:

a) PDA (Potato Dextrose Agar)medium

� Washing, peeling & slicing of200g potatoes.

� Boiling in 1000ml distilledwater until potatoes becomesoft enough to be eaten but notover cooked.

� Straining through cheesecloth & collecting of liquid ingraduated cylinder followed byrestoring of volume to 1000 mlby adding fresh distilled water.

� Addition of 20g dextrose and15g agar followed by boilingwhile stirring occasionallyuntil agar is dissolvedcompletely.

� Transferring of the mediuminto 10ml tubes or 250mlErlenmeyer flasks followed byplugging with non-absorbentcotton.

� Sterilization at 1210C or15p.s.i for 15-20 minutes.

� Preparation of slants byputting still hot tubes inslanting position or pouring ofmedium in sterilizedpetridishes and leaving assuch for next 24 hours forcooling.

b) Malt Extract Agar

� Water 1000ml, Malt extract25g, peptone 5g, Agar 20g,pH 7.0 – 7.5.

� Mixing of weighed quantity ofeach ingredient in 1000ml ofdistilled water.

� Constant heating withintermittent stirring tillcomplete mixing of agar.

� Pouring of medium in tubes orErlenmeyer flasks followed byplugging with non-absorbentcotton.

� Sterilization at 1210C or15p.s.i for 15-20 minutes.

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� Putting of still hot mediumcontaining tubes in slantingposition for slant preparationor pouring of medium insterilized petridishes followedby cooling at roomtemperature.

iii. SPAWN MEDIA

A number of materials, aloneor in different combinations arepopular as spawn substrates. Themost common substrates are ricestraw cuttings, sorghum, wheat& rye grains, cotton waste, usedtea leaves etc. The protocolsadopted for these substrates arementioned below.

a) Grain spawn (Rye/sorghum/wheat)

About 100 kg grains are firstboiled with about 150 liters ofwater for 20-30 minutes followedby spreading of grains on a sievefor 12-16 hours under shade.

� Mixing of 2kg calciumcarbonate and 2kg calciumsulphate with the surfacedried cereal grains followed bytheir thorough mixing andfilling in glucose bottles up to

2/3 portion of the availablespace or in polypropylene (PP)bags of 100 gauge thicknessupto their 2/3 available spacedepending upon the size of thePP bags. Putting of plugs ofnon-absorbent cotton neithervery tight nor very loose.

� Sterilization of glucose bottlesor PP bags containing spawnsubstrate at 1260C or 22 p.s.ifor 2 hours followed by coolingunder laminar flow benchunder aseptic air.

� Inoculation of sterilized spawnsubstrate with myceliumculture followed by incubationat 32 + 20C for about 2 weeks.

� By the time spawn is ready foruse (Fig. 6).

Fig. 6.

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b) Straw spawn (paddy straw)

Rice straw is first soaked inwater for 2 to 4 hours, thencleaned and cut into pieces of 2.5to 5cm long. Calcium carbonateand rice bran are mixed @ 1% and1 to 2%, respectively followed byfilling in wide mouth glucosebottles or polypropylene bags of100 gauge thickness. Thebottles/PP bags are closed byplugs of non-absorbent cotton.

� Sterilization of bottles/PP bagscontaining the spawnsubstrate at 1260C or 22p.s.ifor 2 hours.

� Cooling of spawn substrateand inoculation with mycelialculture under laminar flowchamber.

� Incubation of bottles/PP bagsat 32 + 20C for 2 weeks (Fig.7).

c) Used tea leaves spawn

The used tea leaves are to befirst collected & washed to removeany debris, drained & mixed with2% calcium carbonate foradjusting the pH in the range of6.8 to 7.8.

� Filling in glucose bottles orpolypropylene bags & restprocedure is as for the grainor straw spawn.

d) Cotton waste spawn

Card fly grade of cotton wasteis mainly used for spawn making.The further protocol is similar tothat for used tea leaves.

e) Manure-husk spawn

A mixture of fresh horsemanure and lotus seed husk isused in equal proportions, first bysteeping in water until enoughmoisture is absorbed. Thecompost is piled upto 1m heightin the form of a pyramid and leftas such for next 4 to 5 days. Thepile is broken and if neededadditional quantity of water isadded and repiled. This isrepeated 5 times after every 4 to 5days.

Fig. 7.

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� The compost is filled in glucosebottles or in air tightaluminium canes andsterilized.

� After cooling of the compost,mushroom mycelium isinoculated and the compost isincubated at 32 + 20C for 2weeks or till the spawn isready.

iv. KEY POINTS OF SPAWNMAKING PROTOCOL

1. Substrates such as rice strawand cotton waste etc. shouldnot be over wet as if waterstands on the bottom,mycelium will not grow.

2. Container should not betightly sealed as air can notescape and steam can not enterproperly. Autoclaving will beimperfect.

3. One can prevent entry ofmoulds from outside aftersterilization by:

a) Using only very cleancotton stoppers.

b) Leaving at least 3-4 cm freespace between lowersurface of cotton stopperand substrate.

c) Avoiding the spoilage ofcontainer walls around thestopper and betweenstopper and the substratesurface.

d) Preventing cotton plug fromgetting wet duringautoclaving by coveringloosely with aluminiumfoil.

e) Keeping the outside of thecontainers clean as far asthe aluminium foil reaches.

4. Inoculate under cleanconditions in a room withoutany air movement (close doorand windows) or underlaminar flow bench.

a) Clean the table withdisinfectant

b) Disinfect the hands withsoap and disinfectant

c) Safe transfer of autoclavedsubstrate in theinoculation room

d) Use only pure culturespawn

e) Cover opening afterinoculation withaluminium foil and pressaround the neck of thecontainer.

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5. Place spawn under optimalgrowth conditions. Spawnwhich is not needed forinoculation can be used formushroom production.

v. STORAGE OF PURECULTURES AND SPAWN

The optimal temperature forgrowth of V. volvacea ranges from30-350C and the most suitabletemperature is 320C. Myceliumdoes not grow at all when thetemperature is raised to 450C ordropped to 150C. At a temperatureof 15±10C most strains of V.

Fig. 8. Spawn production flow chart for V. volvacea (Chang and Miles, 2004)

volvacea survive for the longestperiod (Ahlawat, 2003).

After complete colonization ofspawn substrate with mushroommycelia, it is ready to be used.However, if it is not to be usedimmediately, then it should beremoved from incubator andstored at a lower temperature toprevent further growth, aging anddeath. The storage temperatureshould range from 15-200C as atthis temperature the growth ofmycelium is arrested and myceliaare unharmed and remain viablefor longer period (Ahlawat, 2003).

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CHAPTER - IV

Mushroom Cultivation Technology

A variety of waste materialshave been used for cultivation ofthe paddy straw mushroom,which include: paddy straw(Chang, 1965), water hyacinth(Chang & Mok, 1971), oil palmbunch (Naidu, 1971), oil palmpericarp waste (Graham & Yong,1974; Yong & Graham, 1973),banana leaves & saw dust (Chua& Ho, 1973), cotton waste(Chang, 1974, Hu et al; 1973 &Yau and Chang, 1972), sugarcanebagasse (Hu et al., 1973, 1976 &1976) etc. Paddy straw mushroomprefers high cellulose, low lignincontaining substrate andproduces a family of cellulolyticenzymes (Ahlawat et al., 2005).The cultivation of Volvariella is lesssophisticated, less extensive andcan be rewarding in tropical &subtropical climates (Sukara et

al., 1985).

Before 1970, it was only paddystraw, which was in use for paddystraw mushroom cultivation.However, in 1971, cotton waste(Ginning mill waste) was first

introduced as the heatingmaterial for growing of strawmushroom followed by completereplacement of paddy straw withcotton waste by 1973 in HongKong. This was practically theturning point in the history ofpaddy straw mushroom becausecotton waste gives a higher andmore stable yield (30 to 40%)along with early fructification andharvesting. After adoption ofcotton waste, the cultivation ofpaddy straw mushroom hasbecome semi-industrialized inHong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia,China & Thailand.

The common methodsemployed for paddy strawmushroom cultivation are givenbelow:

A) CONVENTIONAL METHOD

The different steps involved inthis method are as follows:

� Preparation of paddy strawbundles of 0.75 – 1.0 kg (80-

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95cm long & 12.16cm wide)preferably from hand threshedpaddy.

� Immersing of bundles in cleanwater for 12-18 hours in acemented water tank.

� Draining out of excess waterby placing bundles on raisedbamboo platform.

� Making bed by placing 4bundles side by side andanother four bundles similarlybut from the opposite side,forming one layer of eightbundles. The open ends of

bundles from opposite sidesshould overlap in the middle.

� Forming of second, third &fourth layer by intermittentspawning between first andsecond, second and third andthird and fourth layers.

� Spawning on entire surface ofthe layers of the beds at aspace of 5cm apart leavingmargin of 12-15cm from edges.

� Sprinkling of red gram powderover the spawned surface.

� Using 500 gm spawn and 150gm of red gram powder for a

Fig. 9. Conventional method of paddy straw mushroom cultivation

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bed of 30-40 kg of dried paddystraw.

� Pressing of bed from the topand covering with clean plasticsheet for maintaining requiredhumidity (80-85%) andtemperature (30-350C).

� Removing of plastic sheet after7-8 days of spawning andmaintaining temperature of28-320C and relative humidityabout 80%.

� Mushroom will start appearingafter 4-5 days of sheet removaland will continue for next 20days.

� After crop harvest the substratecan be used for manure in thefield.

Note:

� For hot regions the width ofbed can be decreased byplacing first layer of 4 bundlesfollowed by another layer of 4bundles from opposite side butdirectly on the first layer. It isto be followed in 3rd, 4th & 5th

layers. The 5th layer can be ofbundles or of loosened paddystraw.

� The size of beds may vary from100cm x 100cm x 100cm;60cm x 60cm x 30cm and60cm x 60cm x 120cm.

� Alternatively the beds can beprepared with the help ofboxes of 80cm x 80cm x 10cmand of 60cm x 40cm x 30cmsize. In this method thematerial is to be chopped to auniform length of 20cm andfollowed by filling in boxparallel with the length of thebox. It is followed by soakingof the material along with boxin 2% CaCO

3 solution for 2 hrs

or until the straw becomes darkbrown. It is followed bydraining of excess water andspawning of substrate at adepth of 5 cm from the sidesof the box followed by pluggingthe openings with previouslywater soaked newsprint. Theboxes are to be incubated at atemperature of 35 to 380C withRH of 75% for next 4-5 days.It is followed by lowering oftemperature to 28 to 300C withRH of 75 to 85% along withintroduction of fresh air. Useonly superfine mist formaintaining proper level ofhumidity in the room. Thebedding material can also besprayed with fine mist if it isgetting dried. Controlling ofventilators is must formaintaining optimum aerationand temperature inside theroom.

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B) IMPROVED CAGE-CULTIVATION

i) Material required

1. Paddy straw 60/Cagebundles

2. Spawn bottle 2/Cage

3. Wooden cage 1 No. (1m x 50cmx 25cm)

4. Drum 1 No. (100liter capacity)

5. Polythene sheet 4 meters

6. Binding thread 3 meters

7. Sprayer/Rose can 1 No.

8. Dithane Z-78/ 1 Pkt. (200 gm)Bavistin

9. Malathion 1 bottle (250 ml)

10. Dettol/Formalin 1 bottle (1/2 liter)

11. Dao (Hand 1 No. chopper)

12. Thermometer 1 No.

ii) Methodology

� Select dry, fresh and handthreshed paddy straw free frommoulds and leafy portion.Make 25 cm long and 10 cmthick bundles @ 60 bundles foreach cage (Bed).

� Soak the bundles in boilingwater for 20-30 minutes andallow cooling and draining ofexcess water.

� Disinfect the cage andpolythene sheet with 2%Formaline or Dettol solution.

� Arrange ten bundles uniformlyin the cage as the bottom layerand put some spawn grainsover and inside the bundles(Fig. 10). Put a second layer often bundles over the first andspawn as before. Repeat thistill six layers of bundles areachieved or till filling of thecage.

Fig. 10.

� Spray solutions of 0.1%Malathion and 0.2% DithaneZ-78 all over the bed. Cover thewhole bed with polythenesheet and bind securely witha binding thread.

� Keep the spawned cage in aroom or a shed for mycelial run(Fig. 11). A warm place withtemperature around 300C is

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helpful for better mycelialgrowth.

� Remove the polythene sheetafter the mycelial run iscompleted (Fig. 12). Maintainhigh humidity in and aroundthe bed till pinheads appear(Fig. 13).

Fig. 13.

Fig. 14.

Fig. 11.

Fig. 12.

� Pinheads appear within 10-15days after spawning. Harvestat the egg stage (Fig. 14).

� Continue spraying water forthe next flush of mushroom toappear within a week or so.

C) OUTDOOR METHOD

The best place to cultivatepaddy straw mushroom outdooris in shade created by trees orcreepers. The steps involved areas follows (Chang, 1982 & Ho,1985).

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� Preparation of raised platformeither with sand or bamboopoles or wooden planks orbricks.

� Preparation of bundles of 40cmlength and 10 cm width.

� Soaking of bundles in runningwater or in 2% CaCO

3 solution.

� Driving of bamboo pole intothe center of each end of thebed.

� Preparation of layer of bundlesfollowed by spawning.

� Laying down of 4 layers ofbundles during summermonths and 7 layers duringrainy season.

� Topping of bed with 20cm deeplayer of rice straw followed bycovering with polythene sheet.

� Removing of polythene sheetafter 4 days and sprinkling ofwater carefully on 6th day.Spraying of water can beavoided during rainy season.

� Prohibit spraying of water afterappearance of the mushroompinheads.

Fig. 15. Cage method of paddy straw mushroom cultivation

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D) INDOOR METHOD

The indoor method can bedivided into following 5 steps(Quimio, 1993):

i) Substrate: Cotton waste is thepreferred substrate forcultivation of paddy strawmushroom by this method.However, paddy straw can alsobe used. Cotton waste ispreferred over paddy straw asit contains more cellulose andhemi-cellulose (Table 3). Thefine texture of cotton wastehelps in retention of moisture,

which minimizes the waterrequirement at later stages ofcropping, and thus helps inavoiding damage to mushroomprimordia.

ii) Compost preparation:Substrate is wetted with 1%lime (on dry weight basis) andfor cotton waste, a squarewooden rack (92x92x28cm) isused for holding a layer ofcotton waste about 30cm deep.The workers are used to treadthe cotton waste so that itabsorbs sufficient quantity ofwater. After first layer is

Fig. 16. Outdoor method of straw mushroom cultivation

21


trodden another layer isapplied. This process isrepeated until the requiredquantity is trodden. However,in case of paddy straw, pile ismade (1.5 m high x 1.5 m wide)

by adding sufficient quantityof water mixed with 1% lime(Fig. 18). The pile is also madewith wet cotton waste and leftto ferment in the open butunder cover during rainy

Fig. 17. Indoor method of paddy straw mushroom cultivation

Table 3. Carbohydrate composition in popular substrates of paddy strawmushroom

Carbohydrate Cotton waste Rice straw Banana leaf

Total Nitrogen 1.22 0.66 1.71

Total Carbon 49.94 54.26 50.52

C:N ratio 40.90 84.00 29.50

Hemi-cellulose 8.73 17.11 19.95

Cellulose 50.76 29.68 10.85

Lignin 10.47 12.17 18.21

Chang & Miles, 2004

22


season or extreme cold. Firstturning is given after 2 daysand 5% rice bran is mixed incase of paddy straw substrateand water is added if needed.However, nothing is added incase of cotton waste substrate.Again pile is formed and leftfor fermentation for the next 2days.

iii)Bedding and Pasteurization:The compost is spread onshelves in rooms or inpasteurization tunnel insuitable thickness (Fig. 19).The thickness of the substrateon shelves varies in differentseasons from 5 cm to 10 cmthick. During summermonths, lesser thickness isneeded, while higher in winterto preserve moisture and heat.The surface is made even by

pressing lightly. After 8-12hours of compost spreadinglive stream is introduced withthe help of rubber hose of 6cmin diameter. A temperature of620C is maintained for 2 hoursfor cotton waste compost andof 650C for 6 hrs for paddystraw compost. Aftersteaming, the shed or room isclosed to keep a temperatureof 500C for next 24-36 hrs andfollowed by natural cooling ofthe substrate. The compost isspawned on reaching thetemperature near 350C.

iv) Spawning: The compost isspawned with fresh spawn @1.4% of dry weight or 0.4% ofwet weight basis of the compost

Fig. 18.

Fig. 19.

23


(Fig. 20). The pieces of brokenspawn are inserted in compostat a depth of 2 to 2.5 cm at adistance of 12 to 15 cm. Thespawn is covered with

within next 4-5 days in cottonwaste and 5-6 days in paddystraw compost (Fig. 21).

v) Fructification and CropManagement: During spawnrunning period, water andlight are not needed but a littleventilation is needed. By theend of 3-4 days, fluorescentlight along with little moreventilation is provided in therooms. The plastic sheets areremoved on 4-5th day followedby little sprinkling of beds withwater. The pinheads startappearing on 5th – 6th day ofspawning (Fig. 22). Afteranother 4 to 5 days, the firstflush of mushroom will beready for harvesting (Fig. 23).The room conditions neededfor better fructification aretemperature 300C, relativehumidity 80%, fluorescentlight and intermittent freshair. The quick growth rate ofthis mushroom demandsample supply of water andoxygen, which areantagonistic to each other inpractice. Watering of thecompost is not oftenlyrecommended as it lowers thetemperature, suffocates thetiny primordia and reducesyield. Crop management to

Fig. 20.

displaced compost and thebed is covered with thin plasticsheet. The room temperatureis maintained at 32 to 340Cduring spawn running and thecompost will be colonized

Fig. 21.

24


achieve the best possiblecombination of light,temperature, ventilation,relative humidity and compostmoisture is in fact an art ofjudgment, experience andeffort.

E) CIRCULAR METHOD

The steps involved in thismethod are (Thakur et al., 2003):

� Preparation of bundles of onekg each from paddy straw.

� Soaking bundles in 2% CaCO3

for 12 hours.

� Winding of water soakedbundles around wooden orcemented poles and mixing ofmushroom spawn @ 1.5% ondry weight basis.

� Covering of spawned substratewith thin polythene sheet.

� Maintaining room temperatureat 32-340C, RH 85%, with nolight but little air circulationfor 5-6 days.

� Removing of polythene sheetfollowed by spray of water onbeds and lowering of roomtemperature to 28-320C, RH80% and fluorescent light withenhancement in fresh airinjection.

� Maintaining RH of 80% by finemisting on floor or wallswithout any direct spray onbeds.

� Development of mushroomand harvesting by little liftingand twisting at egg stage.

� Packaging and sealing.

Fig. 22. Fig. 23.

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F) INDIGENOUS CHINESECULTIVATION PRACTICE

The method adopted at GreenPoplar Village, Ping-ShanCounty, Hebei Province, China ismentioned below (Chang & Miles,2004).

a) Compost preparation

� Overnight soaking of wheatstraw (10-15cm long pieces) in1% CaCO

3 solution.

� Draining off of excess water byplacing straw on ground.

� Piling of compost and coveringwith plastic sheet.

� Compost turning after 1 to 2days interval, preferably onreaching the pile temperatureat 500C.

� Filling of compost in 70cm x35cm x 22cm size frame, firstby putting a layer of compostfollowed by placing of spawnon four sides of this layeralong with some wheat bran.The second layer is placed ontop of the first one and then

Fig. 24. Circular method of paddy straw mushroom cultivation

26


spawn and wheat bran areadded around the edges. Thethird and fourth layers areadded like the first and secondlayers.

b) Arrangement of bed blocks

� Soil base is raised severalcentimeters surrounding thebase of the frame.

� The blocks are arranged in tworows with a gap of 20-25 cmin between.

� Poplar branches are used toprovide roofing on the blocksand are bowed in a shape toform the frame.

� Plastic sheet is spread over theframe, which in turn coveredby straw.

� Temperature of around 33 to350 C is maintained.

c) Harvesting of mushrooms

� Pinheads appear after 4-5 daysof spawning.

� Total 9-10 days are taken forfirst harvest after spawningand the first flush lasts for 3days accounting around 75%of the total mushroom yield.

� The bed blocks are wateredwith 0.5% CaCO

3 and covered

again.

� The second flush appears afterfew days and this flushaccounts for rest 25% of thetotal mushroom yield.

� Four to 5 crops are harvestedeach year.

d) Spent compost

� The spent compost is driedand used for producingPleurotus sajor-caju with BE of80%.

� After P. sajor-caju cultivation,the spent compost can be usedas a good soil conditioner.

IMPORTANT STEPS FOROBTAINING HEALTHYMUSHROOM CROP

� Compost moisture in the rangeof 60 to 65%.

� Immediate spawning onobtaining composttemperature at 350C followedby covering with plastic sheets,which should be maintainedfor next 4 days.

� No ventilation during first 3days following spawning.

� Removal of plastic sheets after4 to 6 days of spawning andsprinkling of water on bedsurface followed by ventilatingthe cropping room.

27


CHAPTER - V

Harvesting and Processing

HARVESTING

The straw mushroom isharvested before the volva breaksor just after repture. These stagesare called as the button and eggstages. This mushroom grows athigh temperature and moisture,therefore, its growth is very fast.So, for harvesting of strawmushroom at good condition ithas to be harvested twice or thricein a day (morning, noon &afternoon). This mushroomusually takes 9-10 days fromspawning to first harvest of cropand the first flush normally lastsfor 3 days, which constitutesabout 70 to 90% of the expectedmushroom yield. The interveningperiod of 3 to 5 days requiresthorough watering andmaintenance of optimumconditions inside the croppingrooms. The next flush will againlasts for 2-3 days and yields lessmushroom than the first flush.The second flush adds only 10 to30% of the total crop.

The mature fruiting bodiesshould be carefully separated

from the beds/substrate by liftingand shaking slightly left or rightand then twisting them off. Themushrooms should not be cut offby knives or scissors from the baseof the stalk, because the stalk leftbehind on the bed/substrate willrot and be attacked by pests andcontaminated by moulds, whichin turn will destroy the mushroombed.

PROCESSING

Straw mushroom is moreperishable than other ediblemushrooms and can not bestored at 40C as it undergoesautolysis at this temperature(Ahlawat et al. 2006). Thismushroom can be stored at atemperature of 10 to 150C for 3days and little more at 200C orunder controlled atmospherestorage. The loss of moisture in 4days stored mushroom could beas high as 40-50% in unpackedmushroom, while it can bereduced to 10% on packaging inperforated polythene begs. Straw

28


mushroom can be processed bycanning, pickling and drying.However, practically the strawmushroom from China to HongKong is transported in woodencases, in which the twocompartments of the case arefilled with ice, while the centralcompartment with mushroom.On the other hand, thismushroom is transported by airfrom Taiwan to Thailand inbamboo baskets with centralaeration tunnel and packed withdry ice wrapped in paper.However, like button mushroom,more research work is needed inthis mushroom also for studyingthe effect of blanching, postharvest storage, soaking andother chemical treatment beforecanning in order to increase thedrained weight and improve thequality of the canned product.

Air Drying: Sun drying is verycommon in straw mushroom. Themushrooms are cutlongitudinally before drying.Drying by hot air is better thansun drying because mushroomretains better flavour and colour.Drying takes place in 24 hours at300C. However, mushroom canalso be dried with temperaturebeginning at 400C thanincreasing gradually until it

reaches at 450C for eight hours.Blanching of mushrooms for 3-4minutes in hot water or 4-5minutes in steam helps inretaining better colour of the driedproduct during storage.Pretreatment of mushrooms with0.1% KMS or combination of0.05% KMS and 0.05% citric acidsignificantly improves the qualityof the dehydrated product (DevRaj et. al., 2004). The optimumdrying temperature, time andcritical moisture content fordrying of the paddy strawmushroom has been recorded tobe 600C, 7 hrs & 5%, respectively(Singh et. al., 1996). Freshmushrooms are reduced to aboutone-tenth of their original weightafter dehydration. Driedmushrooms should be placed inair tight containers, to preventmoisture absorption. Driedmushrooms can be powdered andthen used for making soup,ketchup or curry afterreconstitution in water.

Freeze Drying: Freshly pickedmushrooms are to be frozen at –200C and then freeze dried. Thefinished produce on rehydrationused to be better than air-driedproduct. On reconstitution itbecomes almost indistinguishablein appearance from the fresh ones.

29


CHAPTER - VI

Diseases/Insect-Pests and Their Management

Cultivation of paddy strawmushroom at industrial scale isa recent development and notmuch attention has been paid tothe diseases and insect-pestsaspects of this mushroom. Thelimited information available hasbeen given in the undermentioned paragraphs.

A) PESTS

The common pests of strawmushroom are the mites,millipedes, grubs, nematodes andearthworms. Mites contribute tothe maximum damage of themycelium and the buttons.Among other pests, the damagecaused by the nematodes is alsovery significant which has beendiscussed in detail.

Nematodes: Infestation ofnematodes occurs if the composthas not been properlypasteurized. High water contentof compost does not allow properfermentation to occur and thetemperature does not rise

sufficiently high andconsequently the compostremains immature. The highmoisture does not allow to raisethe temperature of the center ofthe bed sufficiently high (+500C)to kill the nematodes and thusnematodes survive even afterpasteurization. On spawning, thetemperature further comes downand suits to the nematodes fortheir rapid multiplication.Nematodes eat mushroommycelium and thus stop thesupply of nutrients to the growingpinheads which consequently die.The mushroom house, tools,materials and place ofcomposting, all are capable ofharbouring nematodes for theirsubsequent spread to the compostin the beds. The active stage ofnematodes can not tolerate atemperature of 500C. Consideringthe above facts, the followingsuitable strategy can be adoptedfor obtaining a quality compost.

� Maintaining of compostmoisture between 60-65%.

30


� Injection of steam after 10-12hours after filling as it willallow the nematodes to comeon the surface of the compost.The nematodes on compostsurface will be killed fasterduring pasteurization thanthose which are in the centerof the compost.

B) DISEASES

As such not much researchwork has been carried out on thediseases aspect of this mushroom.However, Coprinus sp. damagesthe crop to the greatest extentbeing having the same growthrequirements as of the Volvariellaspp. The other competitor mouldswhich have been recorded are theTrichoderma sp., Penicillium sp.and Mucor sp., which mainlycome because of the improperpasteurization of the substrate orbecause of the use ofcontaminated spawn.

Coprinus - Fungal competitor ofPaddy straw mushroom: Thestraw mushroom has severalcompetitors, but Coprinus is themost frequently encountered.Coprinus completes its life cyclein a much shorter duration (1week) than the straw mushroom,which takes around 9 to 10 days.Hence, Coprinus becomes a very

strong competitor of strawmushroom.

The pileus of Coprinus fruitingbody opens quickly and thenovernight the mushroomundergoes auto-digestion, leavingspores as a black ink of fluid. Itleads to a strong odour in theresidue and followed by thegrowth of green mould. That isusually Trichoderma. Coprinus

has the same growthrequirements as of the V. volvacea

and hence, damages themushroom beds. The one majordifference between two fungi is therequirement of nitrogen level, asCoprinus requires almost 4 timesmore nitrogen than Volvariella.The optimal pH requirement fortwo fungi also differs andVolvariella grows best at 9.0 pH,while Coprinus at 5.0 pH.Considering the differences inthese two requirements, growerscan manipulate the growingconditions favouring Volvariella

than Coprinus. The importantsteps can be:

� Keeping C: N ratio of thecompost in the range of 40:1to 50:1 and if any nitrogensource is to be added, it shouldbe added in the beginning ofthe composting, as it will be

31


utilized properly duringfermentation.

� The moisture content shouldbe maintained in the range of60 to 65% to obtain hightemperature fermentation.The wet compost will decay fastand will promote the growthof Coprinus.

COMMON PROBLEMSENCOUNTERED DURINGCROPPING AND THEIR ORIGIN

� Poor growth of the fungi:Insufficient food, inadequatelybeaten or too compactcompost bed or poor qualityspawn.

� Presence of contaminants:Temperature might not havebeen enough high duringpasteurization to kill thecontaminants or the steammight not have reached uptothe core of the compactcompost, or the use ofcontaminated spawn.

� Strong ammonia smell:Excessive use of nitrogensource or improperconditioning at Phase-II ofcomposting.

� Mycelium drying out:Scarcity of water or excessiveventilation.

� Failure to form fruitbody:Deficiency of light,degenerated spawn or too oldspawn, excessively hightemperature or poorventilation.

� Death of young mushroom:Degeneration of spawn, insectinfestation, insufficientoxygen, excessive CO

2, sharp

temperature fluctuations ordiseases caused by fungi orvirus.

� Growth of Coprinus:Excessive nitrogen, poorquality straw or excess heat ofthe compost bed.

32


CHAPTER - VII

Conclusion

As we know cultivation ofmushrooms and in particular thetropical mushrooms is the easiestway of agro-waste utilization inthe shortest possible durationwith an additional advantage ofproducing a quality food,possessing good proportion ofessential amino acids, elements,fibre, ash and fatty acids. Theadditional advantage with paddystraw mushroom is, its shorter lifecycle, fast growth, simple

cultivation technique and highacceptability at consumers’ levelbecause of its unique texture andaroma. The bottle-neck of lowerbiological efficiency has almostbeen sorted out after bringing inof the cotton waste as thesubstrate; however, much moreresearch work is needed to bedone for developing suitableprocessing technology like of thebutton and other commerciallygrown mushrooms.

33


References

1. Ahlawat OP (2003).Survivability of paddy strawmushroom cultures onstoring under differentconditions. Indian JMushroom XXI (1&2): 13-18.

2. Ahlawat OP, Ahlawat K andDhar BL (2005). Influence oflignocellulolytic enzymes onsubstrate colonization andyield in monosporous isolatesand parent strains ofVolvariella volvacea. IndianJ Microbiol 45(3): 205-210.

3. Ahlawat OP, Pardeep Kumar,Rai RD and Tewari RP (2006).Variations in biochemicalproperties of different strainsof Volvariella volvacea (BullFr.) Sing. under differentconditions. Indian J Micobiol46(1): 31-37.

4. Ahlawat OP and KumarSatish (2005). Traditionaland modern cultivationtechnologies for the paddystraw mushroom (Volvariella

spp.). In Frontiers in

Mushroom Biotechnology(Rai RD, Upadhyay RC andSharma SR, Eds.) pp. 157-164, National ResearchCentre for Mushroom, Solan(HP), India.

5. Baker JA (1934). Mushroomgrowing in Wellesley andPenang Provinces. MalayAgric J 22: 25-28.

6. Chang ST (1965).Cultivation of the strawmushroom in S.E. China.World Crops 17: 47-49.

7. Chang ST (1969). Acytological study of sporegermination of Volvariella

volvacea. Bot Mag 82: 102-109.

8. Chang ST (1974).Production of strawmushroom (Volvariella

volvacea) from cotton wastes.Mushroom J 21: 348-354.

9. Chang ST (1977). The originand early development of

34


straw mushroom cultivation.Econ Bot 31: 374-376.

10. Chang ST (1979).Cultivation of Volvariella

volvacea from cotton wastecomposts. Mushroom Sci10(2): 609-618.

11. Chang ST (1982).Cultivation of Volvariella

mushrooms in South EastAsia. In Tropical Mushrooms– Biology, Nature andCultivation Methods (ChangST and Quimio TH, Eds.) pp.221-252, Chinese UniversityPress, Hong Kong.

12. Chang ST and Miles PG(2004). Volvariella – A hightemperature cultivatedmushroom. In MUSHROOM– Cultivation, NutritionalValue, Medical Effect andEnvironmental Impact(Chang, ST and Miles PG,Eds.) pp 277-304, CRCPress, Boca Raton, Florida.

13. Chang ST and Quimio TH(1982). Tropical Mushrooms– Biological Nature andCultivation Methods, ChineseUniversity Press, Hong Kong.

14. Cheng S and Mok SH (1971).Preliminary experiment of

water hyacinth used as amedium for the cultivation ofpaddy straw mushroom. JHort Soc China (Taiwan) 17:194-197.

15. Chua SE and Ho SY (1973).Fruiting on sterile agar andcultivation of strawmushroom (Volvariella

species) on paddy straw,banana leaves and saw dust.World Crops (London) 25: 90-91.

16. Dev Raj, Gupta Pradeep,Ahlawat OP and Rai, RD(2004). Effect of pretreatmenton the quality characteristicsof the dehydrated paddystraw mushroom (V. volvacea

Bull.). Indian J Mush XXII(142): 24-28.

17. Food and AgricultureOrganisation (FAO) (1972).Food composition table foruse in East Asia. Food Policyand Nutrition Division, Foodand Agriculture Organisation,Organ, U.N., Rome.

18. Graham KM and Yong YC(1974). Studies on the paddymushroom (Volvariella

volvacea) II. Effect of beddepth on yield in oil palm

35


pericarp waste, Malay AgricRes 3: 1-6.

19. Hu KY (1985). Indoorcultivation of strawmushroom in Hong Kong.Mushroom Newsl Trop 6(2):4-9.

20. Hu KJ, Song SF and Lin P(1973). Experiments onChinese mushroomcultivation, I. The comparisonof cultivating materials. JTaiwan Agric Res 22: 145-148.

21. Hu KJ, Song SF and Lin P(1976). The comparison ofcomposts made of differentraw materials for Volvariella

volvacea. Mushroom Sci9(1): 687-690.

22. Hu KJ, Song SF and Lin Pand Peng JT (1976). Studieson sugarcane rubbish forChinese Mushroom Cultureand its growth factor.Mushroom Sci 9(1): 691-700.

23. Naidu NR (1971).Cultivation of paddy strawmushroom, Volvariella

volvacea (Fr.) Sing. using soilpalm bunch waste as amedium. Planter 47: 190-193.

24. Quimio TH (1993). Indoorcultivation of the strawmushroom, Volvariella

volvacea. MushroomResearch 2(2): 87-90.

25. Singer R (1961). Mushroomand Truffles: Botany,Cultivation and Utilization,Leonard Hill, London.

26. Singh A, Keshervani GP andGupta OP (1996).Dehydration and steepingpreservation of paddy strawmushroom (Volvariella

volvacea). MushroomResearch 5: 39-42.

27. Sukara E, Hendrarto IB andDickinson CH (1985). Thecultivation of the paddy strawmushroom, Bull Br MycolSoc 19(2): 129-132.

28. Thakur MP, Godara DR,Shukla CS and Sharma RL(2003). Recent advances inthe production technology ofpaddy straw mushroom(Volvariella volvacea). In:Current Vistas in MushroomBiology and Production.(Upadhyay RC, Singh SK andRai RD Eds.) pp. 194-209,Mushroom Society of India,NRCM, Solan, India.

36


29. Verma RN (2002).Cultivation of paddy strawmushroom (Volvariella spp.).In Recent Advances in theCultivation Technology ofEdible Mushrooms. (Verma,RN and Vijay B, Eds.) pp.221-220, National ResearchCentre for Mushroom, Solan(HP), India.

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volvacea). I. Use of oil palmpericarp waste as analternative substrate. MalayAgric Res 2: 15-22.

32. Zakia Bano and Singh, MS(1972). J Food Sci Tech 9(1):13.

IMPORTANT BOOKS FORFURTHER READINGS

1. Frontiers in MushroomBiotechnology (Rai RD,Upadhyay RC and SharmaSR, Eds.), National ResearchCentre for Mushroom, Solan(HP), India (2005).

2. Tropical Mushrooms –Biology, Nature andCultivation Methods (ChangST and Quimio TH, Eds.) pp.221-252, Chinese UniversityPress, Hong Kong (1982).

3. MUSHROOM – Cultivation,Nutritional Value, MedicalEffect and EnvironmentalImpact (Chang ST and MilesPG, Eds.) pp 277-304, CRCPress, Boca Raton, Florida(2004).

4. Current Vistas in MushroomBiology and Production.(Upadhyay RC, Singh SK andRai RD Eds.), MushroomSociety of India, NRCM,Solan, India (2003).

5. Recent Advances in theCultivation Technology ofEdible Mushrooms. (Verma,RN and Vijay B, Eds.) pp.221-220, National ResearchCentre for Mushroom, Solan(HP), India (2002).

6. Biology and Cultivation ofEdible Mushrooms. (Kaul TNand Dhar BL, Eds.), WestvillePublishing House, New Delhi,India (2007) p. 225.

Paddy Straw Mushroom Prodn

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