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Abstract Volvariella volvacea is a popular variety because of its distinct flavor, pleasant taste, higher protein content and shorter cropping duration compared with other cultivated mushrooms. It is also the most expensive mushroom in artificial mushrooms. With the development of economy and the industrialization of edible fungi, more and more straw mushroom has been cultivated in northern China, and southern mushroom is moving to northern areas. In this study, based on many years of cultivation experience, the high yield cultivating techniques of V. volvacea was summarized. V. volvacea cultivation consists of five steps, i.e., composting, pasteurization, spawning, pining and harvesting.
Key words Volvariella volvacea; Composting; Spawning; Pining; Harvesting
Volvariella volvacea, also known as 'straw mushroom', 'Chinese mushroom', 'paddy straw', and 'Nanhua mushroom' and could be consumed fresh as well as dry. Only 3 species of the straw mushroom, V. volvacea, V. esculanta and V. diplasia are under artificial cultivation. This is not surprising as rice straw has been used for the indoor cultivation of V. volvacea since the beginning of the 19th century, a practice from which the mushroom has been given the common name straw mushroom, and has been cultivated under natural conditions in many countries. With the development of economy and the industrialization of edible fungi, more and more straw mushroom was cultured in northern China, and southern mushroom is moving to northern areas111.
In order to make the mushroom cultivation an environmentally friendly industry, the basic biology of mushrooms and the cultivation technology must be researched and developed. So present studies would help in selection of genetically high-yielding strains of V. volvacea and improvement in cultivation methods.
200 years ago, in the ancient annals of some districts in Northern Guangdong Province, its cultivation was described. In 1874, the mushroom was artificially cultivated in Nanhua Temple of China121. In 1971, cotton waste were firstly introduced as heating material for cultivation of the straw mushroom[3], and in 1973, the traditional paddy straw was completely replaced. This is the turning point in the history of straw mushroom cultivation[4].
Straw mushroom is a popular variety because of its distinct flavor, pleasant taste, higher protein content and shorter cropping duration compared with other cultivated mushrooms. In China, it is also the most expensive mushroom among artificial...