PURBANCHAL UNIVERSITY

ACME ENGINEERING COLLEGE

DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE
SITAPAILA, KATHMANDU

MUSHROOM FARMING

SUBMITTED TO: SUBMITTED BY:

AR.M.S RANJIT HRITIKA GURUNG
B.ARC/074/10
INTRODUCTION
Mushroom is a type of fungi,which are consumed as food.Mushroom
consumption and cultivation are old practices started some thousands of years
ago.20 different species of mushrooms are commercially cultivated around the
world.Mushrooms have gained recognition in food chain because they contribute
nutrient supplements to foods and have high medicinal and pharmaceutical
value.Mushrooms are believed to have high protien content and sometimes are
known as vegetable meat.They have low levels of carbohydrate and fat.Mushrooms
also contain polysaccharides,vitamins,and minerals comparable to other fruits and
vegetables.The second major importance of mushroom is its wide use in preparing
medicines.The mushroom is its wide use in preparing medicines.
The conditions required for mushroom farming are:
 A 22-25˚C temperature for spawn-run and 14- 18˚C temperature range for
crop production.
 A humidity level of 85-90%. A saturated atmosphere with moisture is ideal for
its growth.
 Water should not be applied to the compost directly.
 The rooms that are used for spawn-run should have proper ventilation.
 The CO₂ levels in the room should be below 0.15% and this is maintained by
providing 10 cubic ft fresh air per sq ft or by providing 4 to 6 air charges per
hour.
 There should not be sudden temperature fluctuation in the rooms.

PROCESS OF MUSHROOM FARMING:

The compost is used as a substrate for growing white button
mushrooms. Compost preparation involves decomposition of organic material by
microbes, protein synthesis and fibre conditioning for better absorption and
moisture retention. Straw is used as a base material for mushroom farming. These
days synthetic substrate made from the low -cost agro- wastes such as the maize
straw, paddy husk, leaves of mulberry etc. are being used. Carbon to nitrogen ration
should be 17:1 in good compost. Organic sources provide all the required
supplements and have a better heating capacity, but it is important to provide
adequate nitrogen content also. Wheat flour, rice bran, molasses, etc. are good
organic sources of nitrogen. Urea, ammonium salts and cyanomide are good
inorganic sources of nitrogen. The compost should have water, air and dry matter in
a certain proportion to facilitate heating. SKUAST-K is a technology that produces a
synthetic substrate for quality mushroom farming practices. Mushrooms, in general,
are grown on decaying organic matter and there are three types of systems which
are considered for growing mushrooms.
Saprobic: these fungi grow on dead organic matter.
Symbiotic: these fungi grow with other organisms.
Pathogenic or parasitic: these fungi inhibit disease in plants.
Selection of species for mushroom farming is of great importance because not all
mushrooms grow on the same substrate and climatic conditions. It is believed that
mushroom farming is not suitable in tropical regions due to high temperatures.
Therefore, while selecting the species for mushroom farming certain factors have to
be considered.
  Waste material availability as a growing medium for mushroom farming.
 Temperature and humidity requirements.
 Some initial training is required to grow different species of mushrooms.
 Identification and availability of physical resources in the location of
mushroom farming.
 The local market demand for mushroom.
The commonly grown species of mushrooms are:
 Agaricus Bosporus, known as the white button mushroom.
 Pleurotus ostreatus, known as the oyster mushrooms.
 Lentinus edodes, known as shiitake mushrooms.
 Volvariella volvacea, known as paddy straw mushrooms.
Compost preparation can be done in two ways: the long method (35- 40 days) and
the short method (22-26 days).
The long method of compost preparation needs the following steps:
 Done on a cleaned cemented floor.
 If it is done in the open then waterproof cover has to be provided.
 If done in a room them proper air circulation is a must.
 Chopping of straw into pieces (20- 30 cm).
 Wet the straw thoroughly by placing it in water drums (overnight).
 A dry matter like rice bran or poultry manure are mixed with wet straw and
piled up. The thickness of the substrate is 1.5 m and width is 1 m. Light
pressure is applied to compress the pile.
 The piles should be turned with an interval of seven days between each
turning to facilitate faster decomposition and maximum heating, such that
there is no infestation by pests or pathogens.
 Every turn should be accompanied by sprinkling water.
 The ready to use compost should be light brown in colour with no smell of
ammonia.
The process of compost preparation by a short method involves:
 The straw is pre-wet and mixed with raw material; the heaps are placed in
the open and heat is induced to facilitate faster decomposition.
 The center of the heap has a temperature of 65 – 70˚C.
 Turning the heaps at regular intervals is needed.
 The compost is prepared under controlled environment with a temperature
of 52˚C for conditioning the compost.
Sterilized wheat grains are used to prepare the spawn. The quality of the mushroom
greatly depends on the purity of the spawn used. The addition of spawn to the
compost is done at a rate of 0.5% by weight. The growing medium can have different
spawning methods such as a double layer, top layer, through shake up and spot
spawning. Spawns from the growing areas show faster growth when compared to
spawns stored at 2 ˚C.
Adding an inert material to the top layer of the compost is called ‘casing’, which
promotes the spore-bearing structure to the mushroom. The casing is done after 2
weeks of spawn-run and the casing layer is 3.8 – 5 cm thick. The casing layer should
either be neutral or alkaline nature. Casing helps to retain water within the area. The
fruiting in button mushroom is observed due to the release of iron by Pseudomonas
putida bacteria which stimulates the process. Varieties of casing soil are:
 2 parts of soil with one part of peat
2 parts of soil with one part of the sand
3 parts of cow dung with one part of light soil.
Sterilizing the casing soil is important to prevent the growth of micro-organisms in
the soil. Heat or chemicals can be used to sterilize the soil. Steam is also used
sometimes to perform sterilization. The temperature is maintained at 60 ˚C for 5
hours. 2% formaldehyde is used as a chemical sterilizing material. Soil solarisation is
another method to sterilize the soil by controlling the growth of parasitic moulds.
The casing material is spread on a plastic sheet with 5 cm of thickness and water is
sprayed just to dampen it. For 30 days it is kept covered with a polythene sheet. The
casing material should be evenly spread over the substrate to prevent the mycelium
from coming up and form stoma which may otherwise cause problems during the
pin head formation in mushrooms.
At the fruiting stage, air temperature is maintained at 16 – 18 ˚C with CO₂
concentration at 1000 ppm. Also, humidity is maintained at 70 – 80% by spraying
water. There should be sufficient flow of air and excessive humidity should be
avoided. The volume of mushroom in the room is directly proportional to the
amount of fresh air needed in the room. The first flush of mushroom can be
observed after about 3 weeks of casing the substrate and flushes occur at an interval
of 7 days. Once the pinheads appear, it takes 7 to 8 days for the button mushrooms
to develop. Precautions like excess humidity control, too much watering, etc. should
be taken care so as to avoid disturbance in the cropping area.
The harvesting of mushrooms is handled in a gentle way. The mushrooms are turned
either clockwise or anti-clockwise and then pulled softly, else they are cut using a
sharp knife if the mushrooms are surrounded by pinheads. The area from where the
mushrooms are picked should be immediately replaced by sterilized soil. The
substrate bed should be levelled and the casing should be done if disturbed.
Generally, one large farm can generate 4 to 5 flushes of mushrooms. The
mushrooms produced in the first flush are of good weight and quality. Mushrooms
have a low shelf life so they are either dried or sold fresh in the market.
The different diseases and their control measures in mushroom farming are:
 Dry bubble – controlled by treating the casing layer with heat at 63 ˚C or by
using dithane Z-78 @ 0.5%.
 Wet bubble – treated by using 2% formalin to sterilize the beds and
destroying the diseased mushrooms. Also spraying benomyl @ 0.5 g/m² can
control the disease.
 Cinnamon mould – controlled by maintaining the moisture content in the
casing layer and applying 0.5% of dithane Z-78.
 Brown plaster mould – 1% formalin spray can help or 5% carbendazim
application solves the problem.
 False truffle – avoid high temperatures during casing and spawning.
Application of 2% formaldehyde can control the disease.
 Green mould – 0.2% of dithane spray can control the growth of the mould.
 Cobweb – 1 g of benomyl diluted in 1 litre water/m² can prevent the spread
of disease.
Insects, mites, and nematodes are the main pests that affect commercial mushroom
farming. They can be dealt with the following methods.
 Nematodes – spreading 80 ppm of thionazin over the nematode-infested bed
can be a possible solution.
 Mushroom flies – application of 0.05% of endosulphan can eliminate the breeding of flies.
The casing is treated with neem oil spray, 0.05% of dizinon or Malathion etc. to keep the flies
away.
Seasonal cultivation of mushroom is done by creating small sheds over a specified
area. The size of the shed discussed here is 60’ x 30’ approximately.
The requirements for making the shed are outlined here; the cost of materials may
vary depending on the location of the farm and quality of the material used.

MARKETING AND TRADE

Generally, mushrooms are traded in two forms: fresh and processed (canned, frozen,
dried & others as mushroom-based products). Processed mushrooms are projected
to witness increased growth due to the rising demand for ready-to-eat food items.
Presently, however, the fresh mushroom dominates the market due to easy
availability of the same and the current preference of fresh food over processed.
Store-based such as convenience stores, specialty retailers,
supermarket/hypermarket, and others sales of edible mushrooms have been
observed to be the highest as consumers prefer to pick up fresh food in a one-stop
shopping experience.

MUSHROOMS FARMING SCENARIO IN NEPAL

Mushroom production in Nepal by type (Source: Mushroom
Producers Association, Nepal). The tradition of collection and
consumption of wild edible mushrooms by the various ethnic
groups in different parts of Nepal have been very popular since
ancient times. Artificial farming started in 1974 with button
mushroom farming. Though, there is great potential for year-
round farming of a wide variety of mushrooms due to congenial
agro-climatic condition and availability of wide variety of raw
substrates (agricultural & forestry wastes). Even today only a
handful of species are grown commercially. Mainly white button
(Agaricus bisporus) and Oyster (Pleurotus spp.) mushrooms are available in the local
market to common consumers. Shitake (Lentinus edodes) and Milky mushroom
(Calocybe indica) are other popular mushrooms in Nepal which have been farming
on a commercial scale. Currently, mushroom production is dominated by Oyster
mushroom occupying 86% of total production which is followed by the white button
(10%) and Shitake (2%).
STRENGTH
 Very congeal agro-climate for year-round farming of a wide variety of
mushrooms
 Prevalence of diverse mycophagous communities
 Low-cost labor, plentiful cheap supply of a wide variety of raw substrates,
building materials, spawns, and other inputs
 The huge potential of the local market as well as easily accessible vast export
market of India
 Mushroom venture easily adopted even by educated Nepalese youths in
comparison to other any agricultural ventures
 Strategic geo-location
WEAKNESS
 Lack of a critical mass of well-trained mushroom technicians and growers
 Lack of proper technical advice on mushroom enterprise
 Lack of quality control and certification
 Quality spawn, modernization of cultivation technology, localization of exotic
technology, processing facilities
 Lack of well-organized market channels distribution network
 Inadequate scientific research on mushrooms and lack of well equipped
mushroom specific laboratory/resource center
 Lack of appropriate mushroom policies and laws
 Unstable farm-gate prices and profit margins
 Inadequate public awareness
 Insufficient mushroom courses in School and University curriculum
 Poor farm management practices
 Inadequate coordination between public institutions providing services to the
rural population
 Insufficient investment
 Poor harvest management and marketing
 Lack of collection and domestication of locally available germplasm suitable
for various agro-climatic conditions
OPPORTUNITY
 Rapid growth of the national and global mushroom market
 Increasing supply and demand gap in the world trade of mushrooms and the
shrinkage of production in countries like Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea due
to high labor costs
 Very suitable and important cottage industry activity in the integrated rural
development program can create jobs both in semi-urban and rural areas
 Need to increase the production and consumption of nutritious horticultural
crops to ensure food & nutritional security at the household level to end the
hunger and poverty by 2030 (SDG)
 Growing numbers of health-conscious consumers and demand for healthy,
 quality and organic products
 Highly potential for the alleviation of Protein Energy Malnutrition (PEM) and
also to improve economic standard of the masses
 Increasing interest in protection and improvement of the environment
THREAT
 Diseases and pests damage on product quality and supply
 The limited supply of organic pest control products.
 Fear for a flood of Chinese mushroom and fierce competition from other
neighboring countries
 Rising input prices (including labor)

CONCLUSION
Like other developing countries Nepal is also an agriculture dominant country and
huge quantities of wide varieties of organic waste are generated from agriculture,
forestry, and food processing industries. Mushroom cultivation is an effective
bioconversion technology of transforming these wastes into wealth or potentially
valuable resources. The mushroom industry is gradually taking root in Nepal but the
pace is rather slow because of insufficient scientific research and discourse. The
increasing growth of mushroom production and consumption in Nepal seems a
viable and attractive option. Mushroom cultivation could also be an important part
of sustainable agriculture and forestry. Mushroom, a protein-rich wonder food
needs more publicity as it deserves. It is then this precious vegetable would solve the
problem of protein malnutrition within the country. In future, the ever-increasing
population, depleting agricultural land, changes in the environment, water shortage
and need for quality food products are going to be the vital issues. To meet these
challenges and to provide food and nutritional security to our people, it is important
to diversify the agricultural activities in areas like horticulture. Mushrooms are one
such component that not only uses vertical space but also help in addressing the
issues of quality food, health, and environmental sustainability.
There is a need to promote both mushroom production as well as consumption for
meeting the changing needs of food items. Thus, the mushroom sector holds huge
potentials to contribute significantly to the nation’s socio-economic transformation.
Nepal can grab this potentiality enforcing a suitable and concrete national
mushroom policy and plans.