Mushroom cultivation

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Various Asian edible mushrooms, some of which are also grown in Europe. From left clockwise: Enoki ( flammulina ), Buna-shimeji and Bunapī-shimeji ( Buchenraslinge ) Eryngi ( Oyster ) and shiitake (Pasaniapilz)

The cultivation of mushrooms is a specialist branch of horticulture . He deals with the propagation and cultivation as well as the harvest and marketing of certain edible mushrooms , the so-called cultivated mushrooms . The mushroom culture is at the forefront of European edible mushroom cultivation . Mushroom cultivation is sometimes carried out non-commercially in horticulture and is colloquially called mushroom cultivation .

Historical background

Mushrooms

The cultivation of mushrooms goes back to the targeted cultivation of mushrooms at the court of Louis XIV in the middle of the 17th century. Field and meadow mushrooms , which were considered a delicacy at the king's court under the name of Champignon de Paris, were cultivated in dark vaults and cellars.

At the beginning of the 20th century, mushrooms began to be cultivated on a large scale in their own production facilities and there in darkened and air-conditioned halls, later in abandoned mine or air raid tunnels . This led to the fact that the mushroom, once a rare delicacy, is now the most important edible mushroom in Europe.

In the course of the globalization of production horticulture, the mushrooms and other mushrooms that are native and cultivated in Europe, such as the velvet hood , also have Asian edible mushrooms in the cultivation range. The best- known example of this is Shiitake , which has a long tradition in Far Eastern folk medicine .

Mushroom cultivation as part of commercial horticulture

Mushroom production in Germany in 2008
Edible mushroom Cultivation amount in t
mushroom 57,000
Oyster mushroom 500
Shiitake 500
King Oyster Mushroom 200
Others 50

The commercial cultivation of edible mushrooms by production companies is a special part of commercial horticulture. There are currently 12 larger and 12 smaller farms in Germany and Switzerland. Among the mushroom growing companies there are also increasing numbers of production companies that work organically. In addition to a large number of special edible mushroom cultures, mainly mushrooms are grown in terms of volume. Shiitake and oyster mushrooms, such as oyster or king oyster mushrooms, follow in second and third place in the amount of edible mushrooms produced.

In Germany, the commercial cultivation of edible mushrooms is supported in two federal states by an official advisory service, i.e. advice financed by the federal state, for gardeners. That is why there are two mushroom cultivation advisors nationwide. In Switzerland there has been its own center for fungal science in Cernier since 2007 , which covers various aspects of mycology , including the cultivation of edible mushrooms and their processing or health effects.

According to FAO statistics, almost 3.2 million tons of edible mushrooms were grown worldwide in 2005. The world's most important cultivation country during this period was China with 1.41 million tons, followed by the USA 0.38 million tons. Germany produced 65,000 tons of edible mushrooms in the specified year and was number 11 on the list of growing countries.

New edible mushrooms are currently being added to the cultivation range or tested for suitability for cultivation in Central Europe. For example the Shimeji . This is grown in large quantities in China and Japan and is considered the most commonly eaten edible mushroom in China.

Cultivation of edible mushrooms

Mushroom growing in Malaysia
Mushroom culture on substrate
Mushroom growing in Malaysia
Mushroom growing in Malaysia

When growing edible mushrooms, a distinction is made between the light and dark culture. While Asian mushrooms in particular are cultivated in more or less strong light, the (white or brown colored) mushrooms are cultivated in the dark.

As a substrate a tailored to the particular type of fungus culture substrate used. Basic ingredients here can be, for example, straw , sawdust, wood chips or other organic basic ingredients, which may also affect the taste. Irrigation that lasts for several days activates primary decomposition processes and promotes microbial decomposition of the substrate. This is followed by a pasteurization process , which disinfects the microbiologically digested and homogenized substrate. This avoids colonization of the substrate with undesired foreign organisms.

The finished substrate is now inoculated with the mycelium under sterile conditions . With mushrooms, the mycelium is first cultivated on wheat grains and the mass through which the mycelium has grown is added as a so-called mushroom spawn. Special climatic conditions must be observed during the mycelium growth and the fruiting phase. Climate parameters such as temperature, relative humidity, CO 2 content or amount of light are precisely maintained and controlled in the growth rooms with climate computers . With the help of climate control, the grower can ensure that a certain number of harvestable mushrooms are available on certain harvest dates.

Depending on the type of fungus, the growth of the substrate and the subsequent fructification phase vary in length of time. Mushroom mycelium grows through the substrate in about 15 days, after about 3 weeks the first mushrooms can be harvested. The mycelium of the Shiitake needs 15 to 20 weeks and then again up to a week until harvestable mushrooms are available. The mushrooms are usually harvested by hand. The harvest itself often extends over several, separate periods of time.

Professional representations

The profession of edible mushroom growers for commercial cultivation is represented by national associations that work together on a European level. In Germany this is the Bund Deutscher Champignon- und Kulturpilzanbauer eV (BDC). The professional association, which is also a member of the Central Association of German Horticulture, emerged from the German mushroom growers, who merged to form their own association in 1948. The Association of Swiss Mushroom Producers (VSP), which was founded in 1938, represents the interests of Swiss edible mushroom growers .

At the European level, the Groupement Européen des Producteurs de Champignons (GEPC) acts as a professional representative. For example, she also represents the overriding interests of the BDC.

Cultivation of mushrooms as a hobby

The cultivation of edible mushrooms for private use can be operated in two different stages. Either by buying prefabricated mycelium from specialist companies and inoculating substrate (fresh hardwood logs or straw bales), with already inoculated blocks of substrate being available for purchase, or the complete cycle from the spore to the fungus is processed. The latter method is much more complex and also requires a laboratory, albeit a small one, or its own clean and largely sterile room. In contrast to companies specializing in mushroom cultivation, not whole bales of straw are used, but only parts of them. If a whole bale of straw is watered or soaked, it can hardly be handled manually due to its wet weight. The watered straw bales are inoculated directly without prior pasteurization.

Assortment of cultivated mushrooms in German-speaking countries

(Sort order: Latin name)

A large number of other mushroom genera and species are currently being tested for their suitability for cultivation. Commercial cultivation of forest mushrooms has not yet been successful, which is why chanterelles , porcini mushrooms , birch mushrooms , red cap and morels can only be collected in small quantities for personal use , apart from exceptional cases with special permission .

literature

  • Bund Deutscher Champignon- und Kulturpilzanbauer (BDC) eV (Ed.): The champignon. Trade journal for mushroom cultivation. Self-published, Bonn 1961–2011, ISSN  0009-1308 .
  • Wolfgang Franke : crop science. Newly edited by Reinhard Lieberei and Christoph Reisdorff. 7th, completely revised and expanded edition. Thieme, Stuttgart et al. 2007, ISBN 978-3-13-530-407-6 .
  • Jan Lelley : Mushroom cultivation. Biotechnology of the cultivated mushrooms (= manual of the commercial gardener. ). 2nd, completely revised and enlarged edition. Ulmer, Stuttgart 1991, ISBN 3-8001-5131-6 .
  • Wernhard Einar Schmidt: Cultivation of edible mushrooms. Cultivation methods for main and part-time jobs. Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 2009, ISBN 978-3-8001-4628-4 .
  • Jolanda Englbrecht: Mushroom cultivation in the house and garden (= Ulmer-Taschenbuch. Vol. 29). 4th edition. Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 2004, ISBN 3-8001-4636-3 .

Web links

Commons : Mushroom Cultivation  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files
Wikibooks: Mushroom Cultivation  - Learning and Teaching Materials

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Source: Landesbetrieb Landwirtschaft Hessen, BDC
  2. ↑ Mycorama, Switzerland
  3. ↑ quoted from: Reinhard Lieberei, Christoph Reisdorff: Nutzpflanzenkunde. 7th edition Stuttgart, 2007.
  4. ↑ Edible mushrooms in the test phase
  5. ↑ That's why there are no German mushrooms in the supermarket - Frankfurter Rundschau, accessed on September 18, 2017