Certificate of Mushroom Production

Unit 1 – Introduction

• How Fungi are Named: Review of the system of plant identification
• Characteristics of all Fungi
• Three Fungi Kingdoms: Zygomycota, Basidiomycota and Ascomycota
• Agaricus campestris and Agaricus bisporus
• Review of significant edible fungi including; Coprinus fimetaris, Flammulina velutipes, Letinus erodes, Pleurotus, Stropharia, Volvariella,Auricularia auricula
• Synonymous Names
• Distinguishing edible fungi, Mushroom structure, tell tale characteristics of the genus Agaricus, etc.
• History of Mushroom Cultivation
• Commonly Cultivated Edible Fungi
• Agaricus bisporus, Agaricus bitorquis
• Coprinus fimetarius
• Flammulina velutipes
• Kuehneromyces mutabilis
• Lentinus edodes Shiitake.
• Pholiota nameko
• Pleurotus spp “Oyster Mushroom”
• Stropharia rugosa annulata
• Volvariella volvaceae Edible Straw Mushroom.
• Auricularia spp
• Tremella fuciformis
• Tuber spp.
• Tricholoma matsutake
• Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi)
• Grifola frondosa (Hen of the woods, Maitake)
• Resources, information/contacts

Unit 2 – Mushroom Culture

• Options for obtaining Spawn
• Steps in Growing Agaricus species: Preparation, spawning, casing, harvest
• What to Grow Mushrooms in; growing medium
• Growing media for different edible fungi: Agaricus, Auricularia, Copreinus, Flammulina, Letinus, Pleurotus, Volvariella, etc
• Understanding Soil and Compost, components and characteristics
• Acidity and Alkalinity
• Making Compost
• Making Mushroom Compost, and mushroom compost formulations
• Moisture Level in Compost
• Cultivation of Agaricus bitorquis
• Cultivation of Coprinus fimetarius

Unit 3 – Spawn Production and Spawning

• Finding Spawn Supplies
• Overview of Spawn and Spawning
• Obtaining Smaller Quantities of Spawn
• The Process of Spawning
• Spawn Production; typical rye grain method
• Storing spawn
• Problems with Spawn
• Using Spawn
• Comparing temperature conditions for spawning and fruiting in most commonly cultivated edible mushroom species
• Cultivation of Pleurotus
• Cultivation of Stropharia

Unit 4 – Making and Casing Beds

• Growing Methods; Caves, bags, houses, outdoor ridge beds, troughs, etc
• Casing; biological process, characteristics of casing material, procedure
• Techniques; spawned casing, ruffling, scratching
• Review Auricularia and Volvariella

Unit 5 – Growing Conditions for Mushrooms

• Fungi Nutrition: carbon, nitrogen, essential elements, vitamins and growth factors
• Casing to Harvest of Agaricus
• Growing Indoors
• Components of a Built System and Determining Your Needs
• Factors Influencing Fungal Growth
• Environmental Control, equipment to measure and control the environment
• Siting a Growing House
• Managing the Growing House or Room, cleanliness, heating, cooling, humidity, etc
• Review of Tuber (Truffle) and Tremella

Unit 6 – Pests, Diseases and Growing Mushrooms Outside

• Overview of Pests, Diseases and Environmental Disorders
• Prevention of Problems
• Review of Bacterial and Fungal Diseases and their Control
• Review of Insect Pests, Mites, Nematodes and their Control
• Weed Moulds
• Safe, Natural Sprays
• Summary of Problems found on Agaricus bisporus and other edible fungi covered in this course
• Cultivation of Flammulina velutipes and Kuehneromyces mutabilis

Unit 7 – Harvesting, Storing and Using Mushrooms

• Harvesting Buttons, Cups and Flats on Agaricus bisporus
• Fruiting patterns for Agaricus bisporus and other edible mushrooms
• Cool Storage of Mushrooms
• Freezing Mushrooms
• Dry Freezing Mushrooms
• Drying Mushrooms
• Canning Mushrooms
• Harvesting Agaricus; method of picking
• Handling Agaricus after harvest
• Controlled Atmosphere Storage
• Cultivation of Letinus (Shitake), Pholiota, Tricholoma

Unit 8 – Marketing of Mushrooms and Special Assignment

• Review of Marketing options for mushrooms
• Fresh Mushroom Sales
• Processed Mushroom Sales
• Production and Marketing of Shitake, Oyster Mushroom and Straw Mushroom
• Research and Determination of Marketing Opportunities and Strategies in Your Region