In Relation to Compost Preparation & Mushroom Production
Life-Cycles
of the Main Pests
Compost
Preparation
Phases I & II - Two-phase Process of Fermentation
Most cultivated fungi are saprophytes that decompose organic matter. Historically, wheat
straw and horse manure have been the predominant raw materials for the production of mushroom compost,
although alternative agricultural by-products e.g. poultry litter, pig manure are now widely used. The
principal objective of composting is to transform nutrients from the raw materials into forms that are
available to, and provide a selective and homogenous substrate for, the mushroom. This is achieved in
a two-phase process of fermentation (
Phases I and
II) by microbial
degradation of organic matter.
Mushroom Production
Phase
III - Preparation of Spawn-Run Compost
Mushroom spawn is prepared by growing mushroom mycelium on sterilised cereal grains.
Spawning of the compost is accomplished by mixing the mycelium-covered grains into the compost. The
incubation period during which mycelium moves off the cereal grain and colonises the compost is termed
spawn-running.
