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Beneficial
food and efficient medicine through Cultivation of straw mushroom,
volvariella volvacea
By M. M.Jiskani
Mushroom cultivation is widely practiced in many countries
of the world, to fulfil the requirements of proteineous food for
human beings. These require less space, less care, less equipment
and expenditure for cultivation, than most of the plants and
animals. According to Jiskani (1999), different agricultural and or
industrial straw wastes can be used for cultivation of mushrooms.
Mostly, the wheat, paddy, barley, oat and gram straw, banana,
sugarcane and maize leaves, empty millet heads and corn cobs, cotton
waste, thin sticks and boll locules, sugarcane baggage, banana
pseudostems, saw dust, logs, straw papers, manure etc. can be used
as substrate (medium) for cultivation. As Pakistan is an
agricultural country, therefore a huge quantity of the crop wastes
is easily available at low cost, which could be converted in to
edible mushrooms, by using separately or in combination.
 There
are thousands of mushroom varieties found throughout the world.
About 2500 species are reported to be edible (hence are not termed
as toadstools). So far only 20 species are very popular. The white
button mushrooms or crimini or portabella or portobello mushrooms (Agaricus
bisporus), have commercial value. The Oyster mushrooms (include
different species of Pleurotus), straw mushrooms (includes different
species of Volvariella), and Morels (Morchella esculentia) are also
common in use, are cultivated artificially.
Straw mushroom, Volvariella volvacea (Bull. ex. Fr.) Singer, also
known as paddy straw and Chinese mushroom, because artificial
cultivation of this mushroom was started in China and grows best on
paddy straw, therefore is also called paddy straw mushroom. It is
also known as “Tributary mushroom” or “Nanhua mushroom” and can be
consumed as fresh as well as dry. Only three species such as
Volvariella volvacea, V. esculenta, and V. diplasia are under
artificial cultivation. It contains 206.27 mg of vitamin C per 100 g
of fresh fruiting bodies (Rambelli and Menini, 1985). Saeed et al.
(1994) reported 35.25 to 42.84% proteins from strain PK-101. The
protein extract contain cardio-toxic proteins, volvatoxin and
flammutoxin, which inhibit respiration in certain tumour cells
(Cochran, 1978). Zhang et al. (1994 a, b) also reported antitumor
active protein-containing glycans and antitumor polysaccharides from
straw mushroom.
Straw mushrooms can be cultivated in the tropics without special
equipment. The extent of cultivation and conditions for growth,
including the effects of climate, spawn production, substrate
utilization, yields, postharvest technology and profitability are
discussed by Rambelli and Menini (1985), Shieh (1988), Sharma
(1995), Mani and Marimuthu (1992) and many other researchers. Saeed
et al. (1994) cultivated straw mushroom on dried water hyacinth (Eichhornia
crassipes); cotton waste. Salmones and Guzman (1994) and Abdul-Rahim
et al. (1995) used barley straw, cotton waste and kallar grass.
Brohi (1996), Iqbal and Amjad (2000) used paddy and wheat straw,
cotton waste, sugarcane and banana leaves. Suman and Sharma (1999)
cultivated on paddy straw. Jiskani, Pathan and Wagan (2004)
conducted studies on the effect of different substrates on growth
and yield of two strains of straw mushroom, Volvariella volvacea
(strain PK-101 and strain PK-102) for getting early and high
yielding crop by using paddy straw, wheat straw, banana leaves and
cotton waste as substrates.
The mushrooms can be cultivated in green houses, growth chambers,
ditches, caves, huts, hovels, cottages, cellars, garages, sheds or
shelters, bee hive shaped huts, thatched or meted roofs, thick tree
groves and gardens, kitchens, bathrooms or other extra rooms of a
house or any other vacant building. The mushrooms can not be grown
year after year with full commercial excess, unless proper growing
conditions are provided and adequate facilities are available, for
the control of diseases and insect pests. Such conditions can be
fulfilled in shelf growing, by the construction of properly
insulated and ventilated mushroom houses. Model mushroom house must
have: store room, pasteurization room, spawn preparation and
spawning room, spawn running room, cropping room as well as packing
and preservation room.
 The
spores (serve as a mean of seed) of the mushrooms are so small and
could not be seen with necked eye; therefore, the mushroom grower
cannot handle them. Laboratory person could inoculate sterile cereal
grains with the spores or pure mycelial culture of the mushroom and
incubate that until a viable product is developed. The grains become
"spawn" and can be sown like seed. The entire operation (spawn
preparation to spawning) begins in a laboratory under sterile
conditions. The culture of straw mushroom could be obtained from the
fresh fruiting body of the mushroom by tissue culture method. The
culture thus obtained can be maintained on potato dextrose agar
(PDA) medium, applying standard equation and method for preparation,
sterilization, multiplication and inoculation. The spawn (mushroom
seedling or seed) can be developed by using chopped paddy straw
after boiling for half an hour and sterilization at 15-lb psi for 20
minutes in conical flasks and inoculating with pure culture of
mushroom on the following day. The pure culture and spawn needs 30oC
constant temperature for 15 days. The straw mushroom needs 30-35OC
temperature during cropping.
Near about all types of mushrooms grow well with in range of 80-95%
humidity, which could be arranged with the help of desert room
cooler and or sprinkling water near the mushroom beds. The water
could be sprayed over mushroom beds but it must be kept in mind that
this exercise may inhibit (check) the growth and development of
mushrooms.
Mostly, the wheat, paddy, barley, oat and gram straw, banana,
sugarcane and maize leaves, empty millet heads and corn cobs, cotton
waste, thin sticks and boll locules, sugarcane baggage, banana
pseudo stems, saw dust, logs, straw papers, manure etc. are used
separately or in combination as substrate (medium) for cultivation.
The paddy straw, leaves of different crops and empty corn cobs needs
chopping in to small pieces of about 3-5 cm. Threshed wheat straw,
cotton waste, saw dust, cotton boll locules and empty millet heads
or so, may directly be used by soaking them in water for 24 hours.
After chopping of straw or leaves as well as soaking of waste (what
ever be selected to use), boil the same in water for about half an
hour, so that insect pests and other microbes present in the
substrate may be killed and substrate become moist. After this, take
out the straw from water and spread it on the inclined cemented
floor for cooling as well as removing of excess water from the
substrate. When the temperature drops down to about normal and
moisture content becomes about 80%, the spawn be mixed at 10-20% of
the substrate dry weight (which will be 100-200 g /kg of dry
substrate). The spawned substrate may be filled in polythene bags
and be placed in spawn running room under controlled temperature,
humidity and light. When pinheads (initial growth of fruiting
bodies) of the mushrooms appear, open the mouth of the bags or cut
at place, to facilitate the growth of fruiting bodies. Sort out the
contaminated bags and destroy them away from the growing space,
burning of such bags is safe for remaining crop.
The straw mushrooms may also be cultivated on beds, prepared of
about squire meter size, by placing the moist straw in such a way
that first layer be of about 4 inches. In this case, place the spawn
3-4 inches inside the margin of layer at 4-5 inch distance from each
other and sprinkle small quantity of gram floor, over the spawn. The
second and third layer should be prepared and spawned in the same
way. The last layer should be covered with a thin layer of chopped,
soaked and boiled straw. Finally, the beds should be covered with
polythene sheet and the temperature as well as humidity should be
controlled.
In case of cultivation of straw mushrooms on beds of un-chopped
paddy straw, banana leaves etc; the bundles should be prepared of
the size of available straw or leaves and be soaked in water for 24
hours. If the bundles are prepared from banana leaves then the
soaking may be done for 4 hours. The soaked bundles may be arranged
on inclined cement, till the discharge of excess water that the
bundles may be placed length wise, close to each other, on cemented
floor, in a cross fashion, with the opposite but ends on one side.
Each bed may not be more than five layers; all layers may be spawned
and finally be covered as that of discussed above. When the pinheads
or small buttons of the mushroom appear on the beds, the polythene
sheets should be removed.
The matured mushrooms (but before production of spores) can be
picked by twisting at the base of stem, and lifting from the bed,
but the stalk should never be left on the bed. The solid portion of
mushrooms left on the bed may become a harbor for flies and other
insects, hence, should be removed. If there are many pinheads (the
young mushrooms, which are to be harvested) around the mushrooms,
then only mature mushrooms be harvested very carefully, so that the
near by pins do not be disturbed. Otherwise, these pinheads will not
grow, but will turn yellow, finally, many saprophytes may attack
these pinheads and diseases will spread. The mushroom yield the crop
in flushes, therefore, care must be taken during harvesting
(picking). The subsequent flushes depend on the proper watering,
humidity, temperature and light. Sometimes, other saprophytic
mushrooms as well as lower fungi and different microbes cause damage
to the crop and bed as well. Therefore, all mature, harvested or
diseased mushrooms, their stalks and refuse must be removed at every
harvesting; from the house and destroyed, to minimize risk of the
development of the diseases and pests. The cropping area must be
kept cleaned and safe to public, domestic animals, birds etc.
Jiskani, Pathan and Wagan (2004) reported that pinheads appear after
16.50 to 23.16 days after spawning, paddy straw and cotton waste
were the best as compared to banana leaves and wheat straw. Zubairy
and Khan (1996) recorded 15 days, Brohi (1996) observed 20-25 days
and Iqbal and Amjad (2000) reported 15 to 21 days for appearance of
pinheads after spawning.
The development of eggs/ maturation of fruiting bodies took 20.16 to
23.83 days after spawning and paddy straw and cotton waste were the
best followed by banana leaves and wheat straw (Jiskani, Pathan and
Wagan, 2004). Rambelli and Menini (1985) and Khan (1986) also
reported similar results. Jiskani, Pathan and Wagan (2004) also
observed that paddy straw and cotton waste were the best for minimum
period between flushes (6.16 and 6.33 days) followed by banana
leaves and wheat straw. Khan (1986) and Suman and Sharma (1999)
reported 5-10 days interval between flushes.
The paddy straw and cotton waste are also reported as the best for
maximum number of flushes (3.83 and 3.16) as compared to banana
leaves and wheat straw (2.83 and 2.66 flushes) by Jiskani, Pathan
and Wagan (2004). Khan (1986) harvested 3-4 flushes, Salmones and
Guzman (1994) reported 2-4 harvests, Abdul-Rahim et al. (1995)
obtained 3 flushes, and Zubairy and Khan (1996) recorded 2 flushes,
whereas Suman and Sharma (1999) harvested 4 flushes per bed in a
month.
The results reported by Jiskani, Pathan and Wagan (2004), regarding
yield performance revealed that paddy straw were best for maximum
yield (67.33%) as compared to cotton waste (39.50%), banana leaves
(34.46) and wheat straw (26.98%). Saeed et al. (1994) got highest
yield (3806 g/5 kg substrate) using equal parts of dried water
hyacinth + cotton waste. Abdul-Rahim et al. (1995) obtained the
highest total yield of fruiting bodies (2518 g/4000 g DW substrate
from 3 flushes) from the 1:1 mixture of cotton waste and kallar
grass. Brohi (1996) found paddy straw best for highest yield
followed by wheat straw, cotton waste, sugarcane and banana leaves,
respectively. Suman and Sharma (1999) harvested approximately
3.5-4.0 kg mushrooms from one bed in a month.
In Pakistan, mushroom cultivation has not been given due importance,
because of many reasons; whereas, the nature has gifted favorable
environmental conditions with a huge quantity of waste material
required for obtaining beneficial food and efficient medicine
through artificial cultivation of straw mushroom. No doubt, the most
easy and economical mushroom cultivation technology is also
developed by the scientists but still the nation is consuming/
depending only up on the mushroom grown naturally.
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