Round the Year Cultivation of Mushrooms

The practice of taking crops alternatively to utilize the principles of crop

rotation can also be implemented in mushroom cultivation. However the
cultivation of different mushrooms in rotation is not yet popular because of
mushroom being a non-traditional crop. Majority of the farmers are cultivating
mushrooms only during particular seasons. Farmers in the plains of North India
cultivate white button mushrooms during winter only and stop the mushroom
cultivation during summer and dismantle their temporary growing houses. It is
also paradoxical to note that India is largely a tropical country and we mainly
cultivate temperate mushroom. The tropical and sub tropical mushrooms like
oyster (Pleurotus spp), paddy straw (Volvariella sp), milky (Calocybe sp), reishi
(Ganoderma sp), wood ear (Auricularia spp) etc are not cultivated on a larger
scale. To cultivate different types of mushrooms based on different seasons and
prevailing climate one should know the requirement of specific temperature and
humidity of different edible mushrooms. Since mushrooms contain about 90%
water it is desirable to grow them under a relative humidity of above 85-90%. The
temperature requirements of some important mushrooms are given in Table 1.
Table 1: temperature requirements of some important mushrooms
S.N Scientific name Common name Temperature
. of Mushroom requirement
Spawning Cropping
1 Agaricus bisporus White button mushroom 22-25 14-16
2 Agaricus bitorquis Summer white button 28-30 25
mushroom
3 Auricularia sp Black ear/ Wood ear 20-34 12-30
mushroom
4 Lentinula edodes Shiitake mushroom 22-27 15-20
5 Pleurotus erangii Kabul Dhingri 18-22 14-18
6 P. flabilatus Dhingri (flavillatus) 25-30 22-26
7 P. florida Dhingri (Florida) 25-30 18-22
8 P. sajor caju Dhingri 25-32 22-26
9 Vovariella Paddy straw/ Parali 32-34 28-32
volvacea mushroom
10 Calocybe indica Milky/ Dudhiya 25-30 30-35
mushroom
From the Table 1 it is cleat that mushrooms can also be cultivated round
the year based on season like other field crops. In the plains of North India white
button mushroom can be cultivated during winter. In summer, the sub tropical or
tropical mushroom species like high temperature tolerant white button
mushroom, milky, oyster or paddy straw mushroom can be cultivated. It is also
worth mentioning the fact that even the various Pleurotus spp (Oyster
mushroom) alone offers scope to cultivate it through out the year in many parts
of India. A model for round the year cultivation of different mushrooms in north
India is depicted below (Fig.1).

Fig. 1:Possibility of mushroom cultivation in plains

From the above figure it is clear that white button mushroom can be
cultivated during winter months of October to February. High temperature
tolerant button mushroom can be cultivated from September to April except
during peak winter. Black ear mushroom during February to April, dhingri from
September to May, paddy straw mushroom from July to September and milky
mushroom from February to April and July to September.
In medium elevated lands, white button mushroom can be cultivated from
September to March while the summer white button mushroom can be cultivated
during July to August and
Fig 2: Possibility of mushroom cultivation at medium elevated lands
also during March to May. Shiitake can be cultivated from October to February,
while milky mushroom from April to June. The oyster mushroom can be
cultivated almost through out the year in medium elevated lands. Model for
mushroom cultivation in these lands is depicted in fig. 2
The high-elevated lands are suitable for white button and shiitake for most
part of the year while the dhingri can be taken up during the summer season in
these areas. Fig.3 indicates the scope of mushrooms in the high-elevated lands.

Fig. 3: Possibility of mushroom cultivation in high elevation/hilly areas

By following the round the year cultivation of different edible mushrooms
depending on the season, the farmers can achieve the following benefits
 Round the year economic returns
 Round the year employment opportunities for farm labour
 Round the year resource utilization in the farm
 Continuous nutrition to family members
 Break in the chain of epidemics of pests and diseases.
Hence, looking at the opportunities various mushrooms offers to
cultivate them through our the year, farmers should practice round the year
cultivation to reap maximum benefits.