Cultivation of wild mushroom Flammulina on saw dust

 Flammulina velutipes  (winter mushroom; Enokitake), one of the wood decaying fungi growing on the trunks or stumps of aspen, willow, elm, and other broad leaved trees from the end of autumn to early spring is well known medicinal mushroom. F.velutipes contains different groups of bioactive compounds (polysaccharides, protein-glucan complexes, lectins, sterols, phenolic compounds, etc.) with medicinal and pharmaceutical properties (immunomodulating, antitumour, antioxidant, thromobolytic, fibrinolytic, antibacterial, antiviral, hipolipidic, mitogenic, antiprotozal, etc.).  Nowadays, F. velutipes is commercially cultivated in China, Japan, Europe, Africa, Australia, and North America, and, according to total world mushroom production, this is on fifth place. Considering the potential of this mushroom during cold period of the year the cultivation technology was developed achieving 46-50% biological efficiency.

In the present technology winter mushroom is grown on mixed sawdust supplemented with wheat bran. Saw dust is wetted thoroughly with water for 16-18 hrs. After wetting 5 per cent wheat bran is added in the sawdust and mixed thoroughly. Two kg-wet substrate is filled in each polypropylene bag. The bags are plugged with non-absorbent cotton by inserting a PVC ring in the mouth of the bag. The filled bags are sterilized in the autoclaves for 1½-2 hour at 22 Ibs/inch². After the bags have been sterilized and cooled down to room temperature, they are inoculated with 4% wheat grain based spawn. The spawned bags are placed/ arranged in incubation rooms and temperature between 23 - 25°C is maintained for mycelial growth. Mycelia spread over the whole bag after 20-25 days. When mycelial spread has been completed up to 90% of the bag space, the plug is pulled off, the neck of the bag is unfolded and the surface of the media is made smooth for fruiting. Bags are then placed in the dark at a temperature of 10 -14 °C and the humidity is maintained at 80- 85%. Primordia are formed in 10-14 days after reducing the temperature. When the fruit bodies are 14-18 cm long, the fruit bodies are harvested.  They are packed in PP bags or can be sun dried. After harvesting second flush appears in about 15 days. Only two flushes are harvested. About 460-500 g fresh mushrooms can be harvested per bag containing 2 Kg wet substrate thereby giving 46-50% B.E.