Cultivation technology of Oyster mushroom
The cultivation technology of the culinary/medicinal mushroom Pleurotus spp. commonly called as oyster mushroom has been standardized on locally available substrates. The flow chart of the technology is as follows. The cultivation technology of pink, gray, white, yellow, brown and black oyster mushrooms is same with minor differences in duration of spawn running and cropping.
Substrate preparation
(All kinds of straw and other agro-wastes)
Chopped in small (1-2cm pieces), soaked in water for 2-3 hours
Substrate can be pasteurized by hot water (80°C) for 2hours (no prior soaking required in this case), suitable for small scale production OR steam pasteurization at 80°C for 2 hours (in autoclave or special steam chambers), suitable for semi-commercial production OR sterilized in an autoclave (after filling in PP bags, plugged with cotton) at 121°C, 15 lb pressure for 15 minutes (best method for commercial production)
Hot water pasteurization steam pasteurization sterilization
Fill one Kg pasteurized substrate (65% moisture) in Polypropylene bags, plug with non-absorbent cotton
Spawning (Aseptically, @ 5% of wet substrate) while filling in bags in pasteurization method OR top spawning in sterilized method
Spawning in pasteurized bags Top spawning in sterilized bags
Spawn running in dark room (24-28°C, 18-30 days variety dependent)
Shift to cropping room and make large holes
Pinhead initiation (2-7 days after opening, 13-30°C, variety dependent, humidity 80-85%, light, ventilation)
Harvesting (2-4 days after pinhead initiation, variety dependent)
Sold as fresh, dry mushroom or as mushroom products
Services offered by the mushroom lab, IIHR
- Spawn of commercial varieties of Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus species), Milky mushroom (Calocybe indica), Shirotamogitake (Hypsizygous ulmarius) and Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) can be procured in person on prior order basis.
- Regular training courses are offered on Mushroom seed production and Mushroom cultivation technology separately.
- Literature – Mushroom cultivation Bulletin, folders on mushroom cultivation.
Further details: Director, IIHR, Hessaraghatta lake post, Hessaraghatta, Bangalore-560089, E-mail: director@iihr.ernet.in