KISII NATIONAL POLYTECHNIC

Tel: 058-31958 P.O Box: 222-40200, Kisii

Fax: 058-31719 Email: Kisiipoly@yahoo.com
Mobile: 0700152177/ Website: www.kisiipoly.ac.ke
07522031300

KNP/IMS/REG/F004

AGRICULTURE & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT

DIPLOMA IN HORTICULTURE

COURSE OUTLINE
COURSE: Horticulture
COURSE CODE: DHORTS21
UNIT: Mushroom Production
DURATION: 80Hrs
LECTURERS NAME: Patrick Ochola
EMAIL: patrickochola0@gmail.com

UNIT DESCRIPTION
It includes carrying out food safety risk assessment, developing food safety management plan,
implementing the food safety management plan in preparing mushroom production structures and
substrates, spawning, managing and harvesting the mushrooms, determining productivity, and quality of
mushrooms produced, evaluating implementation of the food safety management plan, carrying out
post-harvest handling of mushrooms and generating production report.

COURSE OBJECTIVES
By the end of training the trainee should be able to;
1. Apply food safety measures to produce mushroom
2. Prepare to produce mushroom
3. Establish mushroom house
4. Evaluate mushroom produced
5. Complete mushroom production

COURSE REQUIREMENTS
 Learners to attend at least 85% of lecture hours
 Learners to sit for all exams and CATs.

ASSESSMENT
 Written and oral assessment 50%
 Practical assessment 50%

1
Title Sub-title Objectives Remarks

Food safety  Meaning of food safety o Meaning, importance,

measures to  Importance of food safety categories and
produce  Principles of food safety establishment of
mushroom  Prerequisite programmes prerequisite programmes
o Meaning, importance, o Relevant pre-requisite
categories and programmes
establishment of o Meaning of risk
prerequisite programmes assessment
o Relevant pre-requisite o Difference between risks
programmes and hazards
 Good agricultural o Steps to conduct a risk
practices assessment
 Standard Sanitary o Development of the Food
Operating Procedures safety management plan
 Food safety risk assessment o Listing hazards
 Enterprise o Identifying preventive
description measures and their control
 Layout of premises limit
and surrounding o Establishing monitoring
environment procedures
 Product description o Establishing corrective
 Intended uses and action
consumers o Records to be kept
 Development of a o Checking and reviewing the
flow diagram plan
 Hazard assessment o Evaluation of the plan
 Development of a food safety  Verification
management system  Validation
o Implementation of the
food safety
management plan
 Adoption
 Communication
 Resource
allocation
 Practices and
procedures
Standards and legislations in food
safety on production of mushrooms

2
Prepare to  Tools, equipment, supplies and  Identification
produce materials  Use
mushrooms  Mushroom house  Servicing
 Sourcing cultures  Storage
 Hygienic and sanitary  Siting
requirements  Construction
 Budgeting for planting
materials and inputs
Produce  Types of mushrooms  Types
mushrooms  Starter culture  Establishment
 Mushroom growing substrate  Maintenance
 Spawning  Types
 Mushroom growth conditions  Treatment
 Mushroom pests and diseases  Methods
 Good Management Practices  Determination of maturity
(GMP) for mushroom  Harvesting techniques
 Preparation of by products

Evaluate  Assessment of mushroom

production quality
of  Calculation of quantities of
mushroom mushrooms
 Computation of return on
investment
 Accounting principles
Records keeping

Approved by……………………………………………………………………………………….

Sign/stamp…………………………………………………………………