Muthubeli Bimmal Pleurotus ostreatus Cultivation Methods

• There are 3 types of Muthubeli Bimmal cultivated in Sri lanka; Thai type, American Type and Bhutan Type. 
• Muthubeli Bimmal are cultivated in several ways;

• Cultivation inside polypropylene bags with sawdust
• Cultivation inside plates with straw
• Cultivation inside polythene bags with straws

Bhutan type mushroom

1. Cultivation inside polypropylene bags with sawdust

I. Preparation of sawdust bags - Requirements

• 7 inches wide and 15 inches high gauge 200 polypropylene bags

Important - Do not use polythene to prepare bags as polythene may melt inside barrel due to high temperature

• Cotton wool

Synthetic wool used instead of cotton wool

• PVC rings with one inch diameter and half inch height

PVC rings

• Sawdust from a light wooded tree 
• 4' x 4'' paper
• Rubber-band

II.Preparation of Medium - Requirements

• Rice bran -  10 kg
• Sawdust   - 100 kg
• Calcium Carbonate/ Dolomite - 2 kg
• Soy Flour/Mung Flour - 1 kg
• Magnesium Sulfate - 200 g

Mung Flour

Magnesium Sulfate

Rice bran

Steps for preparing medium

• Mix sawdust, rice bran, calcium carbonate and soy/mung flour on a clean surface
• Mix  Magnesium sulfate with water and then mix it with above mixture

How to identify the correct amount of moisture in the mixture

Take a handful of mixer and squeeze it. Once squeezed water should not flow through the fingers. Once hand is opened mixture should remain as a ball. 

• Then fill the mixture into the polypropylene bags up to 3/4 of the bags
• Insert the PVC ring on the open end of the polypropylene bag and insert the cotton wool into the PVC ring
• Close the cotton wool with the paper and place the rubber band on it
• Place the prepared bags inside the barrel and boil using steam for two hours - start the two hours counting when the steam started to blow through the hole on the barrel lid 
• After sterilization of the growth medium let them cool down for 24 hours

Growth media ready for sterilization

Steps for Inserting Seeds to Medium

Before insertion of the mushroom seeds, it is important to  use clean environment to insert the seeds. (Keep the environment as sterile as possible - Use a candle to keep the surrounding environment clean). Use a face mask to cover the mouth and nose to prevent exhaled air from contacting with the sterilized medium

• Remove the rubber band of sterilized bags near the torched wax candle and open the bag slightly
• Insert mushroom seeds (amount of one tea spoon) quickly into the sterilized medium and close the bags
• After insertion of the seeds put the sterilized bags  inside the incubation room (dark room) 

Seeds inserted bags kept in the darkroom

First three weeks after Seeding

After about one month white color fungal growth inside the medium will be visible. (Seeds must incubate minimum 21 inside the dark room)

Bags ready for transfer to cropping room

• At this stage remove the bags from the incubation room
• Cut the top of the polypropylene bag and place them horizontally inside the cropping room 
• Bags need to be placed inside cropping room for about 3 months before start harvesting

Bags kept in the cropping room 

Moisture level of the cropping room should be maintained at optimum level 

• To achieve this spray water to bags inside the cropping room using a sprayer - twice a day; morning and afternoon
• Cover the cottage with gunny bags and keep the gunny bag moist

III. Harvesting

• Harvesting can begin after about four moths from seeding
• Harvesting can be done once a week from each bags up to five times normally. (Seven times if the conditions for mushroom growth is optimum)
• After harvesting remove the remaining parts of the mushrooms in the polypropylene bag 

SECOND METHOD

Cultivation Inside Plates With Straw

Requirements in This Method

• Straws acquired from a healthy paddy field (Field that had not treated with fungicide) 
• 12 x 8 inches plates
• Black polythene
• 18 inches long elastic bands 

Steps for Preparing the Growth Medium

• Cut the straws into small pieces - (3-6 inches size)
• Fill the barrel with water up to 1/3 of volume and boil the water
• Add straws to boiling water and boil for 30 minutes
• Let the excess water to trickle
• Let the straws to cool down
• Take the plates and place straws up to 2/3 of the plate - one plate requires about 1 kg of straws

Inserting Seeds to Medium

• Take 5 g of mushroom seeds and place them on the straws inside the plates
• Cover the plates with the black polythene and place them inside the dark room for incubation
• After 21-25 days mushroom buds are visible - At this stage remove the black polythene and transfer the plates to cropping room
• Spray the water on to plates as a mist

Harvesting

• First harvest can be taken after 30 days from seeding
• Then harvesting can be done at 7-10 days intervals
• After each harvest scrape the top layer of straws using a knife
• 5-6 times of harvesting can be done from each plate

THIRD METHOD

Cultivation inside polythene bags with straws

Requirements in This Method

• 22 x 12 inches polythene bags
• Clean dry straws acquired from a healthy paddy field (Field that had not treated with fungicide) 
• Rubber-bands

Steps for Preparing the Growth Medium

• Cut the straws into small pieces - (3-6 inches size)
• Fill the barrel with water up to 1/3 of volume and boil the water
• Add straws to boiling water and boil for 30 minutes
• Let the excess water to trickle
• Let the straws to cool down
• Fill the polythene bags up to four inches with boiled straws

Inserting Seeds to Medium

• Take 2-3 g of seeds and place them on the straws inside the polythene bags - Don't place seeds on the center of the bags
• Fill the bags again up to 3 inches and place the another 2-3 g of seeds on new layer
• Create another 2-3 such layers (4-5 layers altogether)
• Close the open end of the polythene bag using a rubber-band - (There should be a small gap between the knot and the top layer of the straws 
• Place the polythene bags inside the dark room for incubation
• After 21-25 days mushroom buds are visible - At this stage remove the  polythene and transfer the the mushroom buds with straws to cropping room (Place the mushroom buds with straws vertically on the racks of the cropping room)
• Spray the water on to plates as a mist

Harvesting

• First harvest can be taken after 30 days from seeding
• Then harvesting can be done at 7-10 days intervals
• After each harvest scrape the top layer of straws using a knife
• 4-5 times of harvesting can be done from each plate

References

Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare ., 2009. Bimmal Wagawa. Kandy: Department of Agriculture