Dry Mushroom Sale Society Tamilnadu Group

[slnm]

my mail id

 

[editorialteam]

Dear Readers

What are the prospects of mushroom marketing in India. How can mushroom grower can contact the buyers of Mushroom?

Please share the information.

Regards,
Rajani-Editorial team.

As far as marketing is considered, proper packaging (if possible CAP or MAP{controlled atmospheric packaging or modified atmospheric packaging}) would not only make your product attractive but also preserve it for longer time. Pricing should be according to the local market demand, but I would suggest to keep the price lower as that would encourage more people to purchase and try mushrooms and perhaps include them in their daily diet. Even at minimum prices (Oyster @ Rs.50/kg, Milky and Paddy Straw @ 80/kg) a cultivator would earn atleast 100% profit if they can reach directly to the consumer. If they go via middle men then slightly less profit is earned but even then there is a very high percentage of return on investment compared to any other form of business/industry. Advertising in local news papers or local television channels is much more expensive then spreading leaflets through news paper vendors etc. Many cultivators have received tremendous response by taking up stalls in local melas or fares. They can sell their produce directly as fresh or as any prepared food item in these melas and we have seen there is always a rush and big crowd around their stalls. This is a very cheap form of advertisement where you reach a huge local client base in a short time and also earn while promoting your product.

Otherwise there is internet where you post your product and hope to receive inquiries. This is a good way to reach potential clients far and wide and hopefully strike a good deal someday. This is the only way to free yourself from the barricades of regional/national boundaries and reach every corner of the world and also get good price for your produce.

But whenever you think of going international your first priority must be quality and enough capability of producing big volumes. This means a sizeable volume of capital investment. If you are interested in supplying fresh mushrooms or frozen mushrooms then your farm must be located in such a place where you can reach an international airport or port very cheaply and fast. The need for cold chain from farm to airport and then in the airplane are essential. Again there are many restrictions or bureaucratic hurdles to overcome like phytosanitory certificate, plant quarantine certificate, pseudomonas free lab testing report, and ofcourse laboratory test report of your product itself (whether fit for human consumption or not etc). All these are to be faced and overcome everyday and it needs dedicated personnel just to look after these bureaucratic procedures on day to day basis. Every consignment/invoice needs all the above mentioned certifications to be attached with them every time.


As shared by-
Tusharkant Mehta
Chief Scientist & Proprietor Gaia Biotech

 

[editorialteam]

Dear Mr. Tusharkant Mehta,

How much is the primary investment required for Mushroom Cultivation? What is the minimum area where mushroom can be cultivated for commercial purpose?

Regards,
Shweta

 

[editorialteam]

Dear Mr. Tusharkant Mehta,

How much is the primary investment required for Mushroom Cultivation? What is the minimum area where mushroom can be cultivated for commercial purpose?

Regards,
Shweta

It is very difficult to answer this question. Actually it depends upon which variety you want to cultivate, where you want to sell your produce and how much is the market demand for the variety that you want to cultivate. The market is ready as people are aware of benefits of eating mushrooms and are always searching for good source of regular supply.

If you want to cultivate one variety for whole year round then ofcourse you need to have proper climate control facilities which would control temperature, light and humidity that can provide most favourable growing conditions to mushrooms. Mushrooms are sensitive to temperature and humidity very much. Light plays a very important role too. There are many other factors also which govern a successful mushroom crop—like quality of air inside the cultivation area (composition of air as well as flow of air).
Obviously all these above conditions are possible only in a big farm with the help of appropriate use of machineries/instruments and this means big investment.

To start mushroom cultivation on a small scale for domestic market and cultivating different varieties depending upon the ambient climate is relatively easy and less capital intensive.

Firstly one should be aware that mushrooms do not grow in open air. They always require some kind of protective structure inside which they can be cultivated. This can be a thatched hut, plastic tent, house made of bamboo mats or a concrete construction depending upon the cultivators’ investment capacity.

Ofcourse more sturdy the construction more the longevity of it and recurring costs and labour of repairing wear and tear can be avoided. But there are two different/opposite approaches to it that I shall discuss later.

The most important decision that a farmer has to take is the quantity to be produced on a daily basis. Since regular daily supply would be the most effective way to build and create a market. For a beginner the best way to decide a variety which to cultivate is to see which ones are available in the market and are in demand. This way he/she avoids the risk of cultivating a variety that has no or less demand and also know the variety that can be safely and easily cultivated in their agro climatic region.

The minimum volume that one should start with should be atleast 10 kilograms of fresh mushrooms of any variety daily. For a farm cultivating oyster mushrooms this would mean a farm of 300 square feet floor area, for a farm cultivating milky mushrooms this would be 400 square feet. These sizes might seem slightly bigger when compared with sizes recommended by Universities and Training institutes. But this is actually from practical point of view. Since most papers that we read published by universities and lecturers usually mention Biological Efficiency of mushrooms @ 100% or at times even upto 180%. Which in reality is hardly ever achieved and that too only when all the controlling parameters are just right which is rare. A small farmer has to compromise at all the stages of mushroom cultivation in temperature/humidity/light/air quality/pest and diseases etc. and hardly ever achieves biological efficiencies of 70% or more.

Regards,
Tusharkant Mehta
Chief Scientist & Proprietor Gaia Biotech

 

[editorialteam]

Dear Mr. Tusharkant Mehta,

How many different varieties of Mushroom could be cultivated in a small set up? Please also tell about market value of mushroom?

Regards,
Shweta

 

[editorialteam]

Dear Mr. Tusharkant Mehta,

How many different varieties of Mushroom could be cultivated in a small set up? Please also tell about market value of mushroom?

Regards,
Shweta

There are four varieties of mushrooms that are cultivated on a commercial scale in India—Oyster mushrooms or Pleurotus spp., Paddy Straw mushrooms or Volvariella spp., Milky mushrooms or Calocybe indica and Button mushrooms or Agaricus spp.
Of these oyster mushrooms are the easiest to cultivate. They can be sold both fresh and as dehydrated (dried). Primarily a temperate variety of mushrooms that grow best under mild temperatures of below 25°C. There are various varieties that are colourful too. This is one of highest yielding varieties of mushrooms that make cultivators happy with high productivity in short time. There are now some temperature tolerant strains developed or isolated which means that with slight manipulation of temperature and humidity this group of mushrooms can be cultivated practically whole year round and even at temperatures above 35°C but at this temperatures the quality is certainly not that good. The average wholesale price is usually Rs.50 per kilogram while in retail the price ranges from Rs.70 to Rs.120 per kilogram depending upon the locality where it is to be sold.

Milky mushrooms are gaining popularity too. They have a big advantage of very good shelf life of over one week at room temperature. With proper cooling they can be stored for a very long period. Their cultivation technique is very much alike oyster mushrooms with slight modifications. The biggest advantage for Milky mushrooms is that it grows at temperatures above 28° C and upto 38°C, which means that this variety can be successfully cultivated for more than 9 months in coastal regions of India and for about 8 months of year in plains of India. One great advantage of milky mushrooms is that unlike button mushrooms they do not contain phenolic compounds that get oxidized and give brown colouration at places where the mushrooms have been bruised or slightly damaged (a very common problem with button mushrooms).The price of this variety ranges from Rs.70 to Rs.90 per kilogram in whole sale and about Rs.100 to Rs150 per kilogram in retail market.

Paddy straw mushrooms are popular in Orissa (now Odisha) and parts of Jharkhand, Bengal etc. These mushrooms grow best at temperatures between 28°C and 36°C. The most popular variety is black or grey (Volvariella volvacea) in colour. There is a white variety (Volvariella diplasia) too. These two varieties are popular in India since they are of tropical nature. There is another variety also of commercial importance but it is of equatorial type and needs constant day and night temperature so it is not cultivated in India. The price of this variety varies from Rs.60 to Rs.90 in whole sale and goes upto Rs.120 in retail. This variety has the advantage of good taste and texture which most people like, but its biggest disadvantage is low shelf life. Paddy straw mushroom growers/marketers have now developed a unique method of preserving their produce for longer time. They nowadays blanch the fresh mushrooms and then submerge them in salt solution. They are marketed also in pouches wherein mushrooms are dipped in brine.
The most popular (from market demand standpoint) and most difficult to grow is Button mushroom.

It is strictly meant for experts and requires lot of capital investment. It is highly temperature sensitive and compost specific. There is an elaborate process by which a complex compost has to be prepared upon which it feeds. Temperature has to be maintained very stringently to get good quality and quantity. Under natural conditions many cultivate it but only in places where winter temperatures of 15°C during day will last for more than 3 months. For other places where day temperature is more than 22°C the chances of failure are maximum. There are two varieties Agaricus bisporus and Agaricus bitorquis. The former one is the most popular worldwide though the later one would be cheaper to cultivate since its minimum temperature requirement is 22°C; 6°C higher than A bisporus. Which means cost of temperature control is greatly reduced. But the biggest disadvantage of A bitorquis is that at this temperature of 22°C many competing fungi are also active and so chances of contamination and as a consequence less productivity are higher. So many big commercial units avoid the risk involved and continue to grow low temperature loving A bisporus. There are now two brown coloured strains also available which are gaining popularity.

As told by-
Tusharkant Mehta
Chief Scientist & Proprietor Gaia Biotech

 

[editorialteam]

Dear Mr. Mehta,

How to decide what kind of Mushroom can be cultivated?

Regards,
Shweta

 

[executivedirectoraci]

These are the parameter to decide the Mushroom Cutlivation


Local climatic conditions
Demand In the Local market
Facility of controlled climatic condition
Processing facilities
Export demand
Product development

 

[editorialteam]

Dear Mr. Mehta,

How to decide what kind of Mushroom can be cultivated?

Regards,
Shweta

One should decide by surveying the local market where mushrooms are already being sold so that a new comer would know which varieties are in demand locally and which varieties can be cultivated in the prevailing climate of that area.

The capacity to invest also plays an important role since a variety which is popular might require more investment so the cultivator has to decide. If you are the pioneer in mushroom cultivation in your area and there is no predecessor to follow, then oyster mushrooms or milky mushrooms would be the best alternatives . Start on a small scale of 5 kg per day and then start to popularize it in local market. When the market demand increases, then you can also increase your production accordingly.

As replied by-
Tusharkant Mehta
Chief Scientist & Proprietor Gaia Biotech

 

[editorialteam]

Dear Mr. Mehta,

Amongst all the varieties which are sold fresh and which are sold dry or both (fresh and dry)?

Regards,
Shweta

 

[editorialteam]

Dear Mr. Mehta,

Amongst all the varieties which are sold fresh and which are sold dry or both (fresh and dry)?

Regards,
Shweta

The oyster mushrooms can be easily dried. Most small cultivators dry their mushrooms under sunlight by placing them on clean clothes .If the sunlight is strong then the mushrooms get dried in a single day. The shorter the time taken the better the quality of the final dried mushrooms.This process is of course free of cost but the risk of cloudy/misty conditions are always there and on such days the mushrooms cannot be dried in a single day and then the mushrooms get brownish which lowers their price. If the colour is more dark then it is not saleable.

Big commercial units do not depend upon sunlight and use Hot Air Tray driers in which hot air is circulated inside the machine between the trays which contain mushrooms. But here also one must understand that temperatures of more than 55°C would discolour or scorch the mushrooms. The safest way is to keep the temperature at 50°C and dry the mushrooms for about 6 hours. The quality under these conditions is very good and have good local and export market too.

Dried Oyster mushrooms fetch price between Rs.300 to Rs.600 per kilogram depending upon the quality in the whole sale market.

Milky mushrooms are sometimes dried also, but the mushrooms are big and fleshy so they have to be sliced and then dried.Though dried milky mushrooms are not very popular.

Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) and Jew’s ear(Auricularia) mushrooms can be dried and have very good demand all over the world. These mushrooms though cultivable are still not cultivated on commercial scale in India.

As told by-
Tusharkant Mehta
Chief Scientist & Proprietor Gaia Biotech

 

[editorialteam]

Dear Mr. Mehta,

What are the procedures to follow up to start the mushroom cultivation viz., need any licence or certificate from Food Processing Authority or any other formalities to start with?

Regards,
Shweta

 

[editorialteam]

Dear Mr. Mehta,

What are the procedures to follow up to start the mushroom cultivation viz., need any licence or certificate from Food Processing Authority or any other formalities to start with?

Regards,
Shweta

There is no license or permit required for starting mushroom cultivation if you want to cultivate Oyster, Paddy Straw or Milky mushrooms. But a trade licence enlistment gives a legal status to your unit which would be beneficial in opening a Bank account or getting a loan etc. If you want to cultivate Button mushrooms on a large scale then permit and no objection certification is required from the Pollution Control Board since during the compost preparation lot of obnoxious (stinking) gases are evolved. This is the reason why Button mushroom farms are not allowed near cities or large residential areas.

If one wants to produce byproducts or want any kind of processing done from their cultivated mushrooms then ofcourse FPO license is required. These processed mushrooms then attract local taxes as applicable as well as VAT @ 13.5% and CST @2%. By processed mushrooms we mean canned, pickled or dried mushrooms. Fresh mushrooms are considered as fresh vegetables and do not have any taxes on them .

Shares-
Tusharkant Mehta
Chief Scientist & Proprietor Gaia Biotech

 

[editorialteam]

Dear Mr. Mehta,

If someone is growing one kind of mushroom variety then is it possible to switch to another variety in the same area and infrastructure after sometime?

Regards,
Shweta

 

[editorialteam]

Dear Mr. Mehta,

If someone is growing one kind of mushroom variety then is it possible to switch to another variety in the same area and infrastructure after sometime?

Regards,
Shweta

There are many cultivators who grow different varieties of mushrooms in different season in same farm set up. This is possible but with proper care; since spores of one variety will interact with other variety and cause problems in cultivation. You cannot grow two varieties in the same shed simultaneously. There should be a solid partition between two sections so spores of one variety does not enter the cultivation area of the other variety.

If same shed is used for different variety of mushroom which is to be cultivated according to season then the cultivation area should be cleaned with proper use of chemicals that would destroy or inhibit contaminating pathogens that would have built up during the earlier crop. These might be insect pests or fungal spores of different moulds. For insect pests I would recommend use of a persistent pesticide like Dimethoate or Chlorpyriphos etc which would remain for a long time on the walls and internal structures like bed frames, or hangers and destroy the eggs or larvae of the pests and keep them free from them for quite some time. To help in inhibiting pathogens like moulds from spreading -- the farm and its internal structures should be sprayed with a long residue and cheap fungicide like Mancozeb, Zineb, Blitox etc.

Another method that can be followed is to seal the cropping area well and then spray Formalin (formaldehyde) inside and lock the room/shed for 48 hours. After that the windows and doors are opened and fresh air introduced to evacuate all traces of Formaldehyde. This treatment renders the cultivation area pathogen and pest free for quite some time. Formaldehyde is a very strong and irritating chemical. It burns your nose, eyes and throat so it is better to use a motorized sprayer to spray efficiently and fast and run out of the shed as fast as possible. It is cheap too. Commercial grade might be costing somewhere around Rs.30 per litre.

At many places (not in India though) the procedure that is followed between two production cycles is called cooking out. This means that the entire cropping room is tightly sealed and then steam introduced into the room/shed. The temperature of the area is increased upto 80°C and kept at that for next 48 hours. After that the windows and doors are opened and fresh air introduced. The result is same as that with Formaldehyde treatment but this method is obviously costlier compared to the earlier method but it is organic.

There is a completely radical approach to this farm construction/pasteurization problem that is followed in many parts of Nepal. That is they never construct any elaborate structure. They make it very temporary using cheapest available material and then break it down and burn it after one season of usage. They then construct a new one once again in similar makeshift manner to be brought down after one season of use. In this manner they never allow any pathogen build up since everything is destroyed.
This drastic method is ofcourse possible for seasonal farmers with no long term plan or set up.

Shares -
Tusharkant Mehta
Chief Scientist & Proprietor Gaia Biotech

 

[executivedirectoraci]

sifting on the same material is not recommended.One must go for the fresh sterilization, composting and spawning. the infection of the other micro organism can harm you badly..

 

[editorialteam]

Factors to be considered to have best quality of mushroom produced.

For a beginner basic training is very important since this gives the required tips and skills upon which the ultimate success depends. More skills and expertise would develop during cultivation by observing mushroom’s response to day to day conditions.

To produce best quality of mushrooms the basic requirement is good quality compost, good first generation spawn, knowledge of cultivation procedure and farm maintenance. Choice of correct variety depending upon the agro climatic zone where farm is to be set up. In this one must see that for oyster mushrooms the temperature must be mild and for getting better quality and quantity the temperature must be below 26°C most of the time.
For milky and straw mushrooms the temperature required is always more than 28°C and upto 38°C.

For button the colder climate where temperature is below 22°Celsius always is very much needed. Even in places where the climate is favourable for a long time; to cultivate the button mushrooms under natural conditions; the preparation of compost is still complex and needs expert advice at all the stages. Normally these farmers produce compost by the long method which is less complex and does not need elaborate pasteurization and conditioning equipments. But drawback of this is less productivity. If proper pasteurization and conditioning (with steam) is done yield is almost doubled and quality is also superior, but that needs big investment. Some farmers try to replace steam with chemicals as they are comparatively cheaper to use and do not need expensive machineries like boilers etc.

But one must always remember that mushrooms (all varieties) themselves do not like chemicals. So where ever chemicals are used the productivity is low and production late. Whereas steam treatment not only destroys or inhibits pathogens and pests, it also breaks down complex polysaccharides to some extent and makes them available for easy assimilation by mushroom mycelia; thus hurrying up the production. Again the most important fact about steam pasteurization is that it is hundred percent organic (organic foods are getting good response and fetching better price everywhere).

As told by-
Tusharkant Mehta
Chief Scientist & Proprietor Gaia Biotech

 

[editorialteam]

Dear Mr. Mehta,

In how much time one can expect the returns from Mushroom cultivation?

Regards,
Shweta

 

[editorialteam]

Dear Mr. Mehta,

In how much time one can expect the returns from Mushroom cultivation?

Regards,
Shweta

This is also variety dependant since if one starts a Paddy Straw mushroom farm then the first crop is harvestable within 12 days from the date of spawning; if one starts oyster mushroom farm then the first harvestable crop is within 24 days , for milky mushrooms this period is 32 days and for button mushrooms this would be 36 days . The first harvest also depends upon the climate/weather. If the climate is favourable then the above mentioned schedule is achievable otherwise long delays might be possible. Especially if the weather pattern is what it was and is this year, no one can say what quality and quantity of good mushrooms a farmer would get since unfavourable conditions are prevalent all the time.

Important points to be known before starting the mushroom cultivation -

1) A person wanting to start a mushroom farm should get proper training to get acquainted with all the possible factors that govern the quality and quantity of mushrooms cultivated.
2) Decide which variety to cultivate by surveying the local market (for a small farmer) or international demand (for a big farmer).
3) Decide which variety to cultivate depending upon the agro climatic conditions of the area.
4) Search for a good spawn supplier who would provide 1st generation spawn of the correct variety at reasonable rate.
5) Keep arrangement for preserving excess production either by drying, canning or pickling.

Drying mushrooms for the first time is relatively easy but keeping them dry and pest free for a longer time is difficult. So proper long term storage facilities must be a priority.

As told by-
Tusharkant Mehta
Chief Scientist & Proprietor Gaia Biotech

 

[dr oys]

Dear Sir, we cancultivate paddy straw mushooms in the house as button mushrooms require some controlled conditions like temperature and humidity etc.

Cultivation of Paddy Mushrooms the following items are required
1.Spwan.
2.Paddy straw
3.Polythene covers.
4.Rubber bands
5.Wood/iron racks.
6.Gunny bags.
7.Machinery & equipment
The seed used for mushroom cultivation is called as spawn. The quality of mushrooms raised by us depends on spawn used for cultivation .Spawn is available in 3 forms:
1. Spawn cultured in cow dung.
2. Seed spawn
3. Spawn cultured with ferralite mineral
Like the other mushrooms, paddy straw mushrooms . can be grown on various agricultural waste materials, with the use of different technologies. They grow well on different types of lignocellulosic materials, converting the materials into digestible and protein-rich substances suitable for animal feeds. They may be produced in the tropics on a mixture of sawdust and rice bran, rice straw and rice bran, saw dust and ipil-ipil leaves and other combinations of tropical wastes.
Method of Paddy straw mushroom cultivation:
Sterilization / Pasteurization
Paddy straw has to be cut in to 3-4 cm pieces and are to be soaked in water for 12-14 hours . Then the paddy straw pieces are taken out form water and are to be steaming at 100oC (pasteurisation) is more acceptable because the cost is lower and less susceptible to contamination. The substrate is steamed for 20 -30 minutes , depending on the volume and the size of the bags.
Inoculation / Spawning
Spawning is carried out aseptically; preferably using the same transfer chamber or the same inoculation room as is used in spawn preparation.
Grain spawn is commonly used to inoculate the substrate in bags. With grain spawn, the polypropylene packet is shaken to separate the seeds colonized with the white mycelium. A few spawn grains ( about 500grams ) are poured into the substrate bag.(26 X 14 “ size) The newly inoculated bags are slightly tilted to distribute the grains evenly in the shoulder area of the bag around the neck.
The highly industrialized method involves bulk-pasteurisation and bulk-spawning before the substrates are distributed in beds similar to those used for Agaricus. The system is labour-saving but requires more complex equipment. Bulk material processing and handling are highly risky for tropical mushroom cultivation due to the risk of contamination.

Incubation
The spawned compost bags are kept in a dark room until the mycelium has fully penetrated to the bottom of the substrate. In 20 to 30 days, depending upon the substrate/substrate combination, the substrate appears white, due to the growth of the mycelium. The bags are kept for an additional week before they are opened to check that the mycelium is mature enough to fruit. Most strains of the mushroom form primordia after 3 to 4 weeks of mycelial growth. The bags are opened, to initiate fruiting, inside a mushroom house.
Fruiting
A mushroom house should be used and its size will depend on the number of bags prepared at any one time. The house may be built of Nipa, sawali, wood or concrete. Air vents on the upper walls will provide the ventilation required for the development of the sporocarps. At the same time a small amount of light should be provided inside the house. The walls may be covered with plastic or foam sheets to increase the relative humidity (80.95%) in the production house.
The paddy straw has to be removed from water and allowed to dry in the shade. The paddy straw is to be kept in 5 cm height layers in a polythene bag and a handful of spawn has to be sprinkled on it . Similarly , after filling of 4 to 5 layers of substrate and spawn in the bag the opening end of the bag has to be closed . Te bag may be slit either criss-crossed at four to six places, or simply slashed lengthwise. When following the latter technique At this stage the bags are called beds. These beds are kept in racks or suspended with a rope .
Fruiting requires an appropriate temperature range (20-28oC), ventilation, light moisture and humidity (80.-95%). To provide moisture, daily watering of the substrate is required. Watering, however, should not be so excessive that the substrate becomes waterlogged.
If the temperature inside the house rises to more than 30oC, a light water mist should be frequently used to lower the temperature and hasten fruiting. Doors and windows may also be opened, especially at night, to allow the cool night air to enter.
Approximately 21 to 25 days after preparation of beds , mushroom primordia will begin to form. Mature mushrooms should be ready for harvesting in another 10- 15 days. If the substrate has not yet been completely colonized, the onset of fruiting will be delayed.
To harvest the mushrooms, they should be grasped by the stalk and gently twisted and pulled. A knife should not be used. If kept in a refrigerator or in a cool place, the mushrooms should remain fresh for up to 3 to 6 days.
After harvesting from the top end of the bag, the other end may be opened to allow fruiting. The two ends are sometimes opened and allowed to fruit at the same time. After harvesting from the end portions, slits may be made on the central portion of the bag so that more mushrooms can develop. When a sawdust substrate is used, the harvested surface may be scraped lightly to expose a new surface for fruiting. As long as the substrate appears white, mushrooms will continue to form under adequate environmental conditions. When it appears colorless and soft, it is time to remove the bags from the house.
Yield:
Yield ranges from about 100-200% of the dry weight of the substrate and depends on the substrate combination as well as the way in which the substrate has been managed during the fruiting season. From personal observations, the richer the combination and the whiter and denser the mycelium, the greater will be the mushroom yield.
To increase yield, the most common supplement used is urea or orchid fertilizer dissolved in water (100 gm in 100 liters water). Using a plastic mist sprayer, the solution is sprayed on the surface immediately before fruiting.
An yield of 1.50 kgs of mushrooms can be harvested from each bag (bed) . 150 bags of beds are always maintained by replenishing new bags and removing matured beds so that an average yield of 100 kgs per day is maintained.
The used substrate (paddy straw and soil) can be used as compost for agricultural fields.

Please contact for project reports:
G.Ananda Rao B.Sc(Ag), Vijaya Agro consultants, 9703128495

Dear G. Ananda
You have mentioned above that in case of paddy straw mushroom Yield ranges from about 100-200% of the dry weight of the substrate and depends on the substrate combination as well as the way in which the substrate has been managed during the fruiting season. Is it true for paddy straw mushroom i.e. Volvariella volvacea???
Dr. Siddhant Oys