Effects of different briquetting modes on production of Agaricus bisporus

Abstract: In China, the technology of Agaricus bisporus cultivation was so traditional that the production or Agaricus bisporus was not high. The technology of Agaricus bisporus cultivation need to be promoted urgently, especially in Erhai River Basin of China. In early time, the production process of Agaricus bisporus substrate was very simple. In our research, the briquetting method in substrate was developed to promote the utilization efficiency of edible mushrooms substrate. Three schemes were setup, scheme 1, traditional technology with 350 kg / m3 Compaction, scheme 2,400 kg / m3 briquetting method and scheme 3,500 kg / m3 briquetting method. The fruiting time, unit yield, conversion rate, cultivated area and total yield of Agaricus bisporus have been studied in this research, aim to provide theoretical basis for the practical application of the briquetting method. It is an important index to evaluate the quality of the substrate to affect the production efficiency of the Agaricus bisporus. The results showed that the fruiting time was 36 d by scheme 1, and it is 38 d by scheme 2 and 3. The distinction of two days would not affect the Agaricus bisporus production. The unit yield of scheme 1, 2 and 3 were 0.198, 0.205 and 0.279 kg / kg, respectively. The most obvious enhancement of unit yield was scheme 3 with the unit yield enhanced by 40.9%. The conversion rate of Agaricus bisporus by scheme 1 was 30.2 %. The conversion rate of scheme 2 was reduced to 27.9%. Although there was a certain degree of improvement in the yield by scheme 2, the nutrients in the substrate were not fully utilized. The conversion rate of Agaricus bisporus by scheme 3 was 28.6%, which was higher than that of scheme 2, but also lower than tradition method. If the conversion rate of the level can be further improved, further enhanced production will be achieved. It is demonstrated that the technology of briquetting method still has a certain potential in the improvement of the substrate utilization and production of Agaricus bisporus. The cultivated area of scheme 1, 2 and 3 were 5.4 m2, 4.7 m2 and 3.8 m2, respectively. The more pyknotic the substrate is, the more cultivated area would be saved. The total yield of scheme 1, 2 and 3 were 22.5, 23.3 and 31.7 kg, respectively. The Agaricus bisporus production was 5.9, 6.1 and 8.4 kg per 100 kg fresh substrate by scheme 1, 2 and 3, respectively. It is easy to be found that the total yield was increased with the enhancement of compaction. The enhancement of scheme 2 was not obvious, which is only more than 3.6% of the traditional formula. While, compared to the traditional scheme, the production of Agaricus bisporus increased by 2.5 kg per 100 kg fresh substrate by scheme 3, which was 40.9% enhancement of traditional scheme. In conclusion, scheme 3 was demonstrated to be the optimal method, which can improve the production of Agaricus bisporus, save more cultivation area and reduce the cost. This study laid a theoretical foundation for the practical application of the briquetting technology of substrate.