The consumer demand for residue-free food is increasing, and chemical alternatives in mushroom cultivation are becoming less and less available.

E-nema GmbH supports this change. It is the world market leader and has decades of experience in the production of useful nematodes.

Useful nematodes are natural opponents of many pests in ornamental plant breeding, on strawberry, blueberry and apple orchards as well as in maize cultivation. They are also increasingly being used, successfully within the mushroom cultures, in the fight against sciarids.

Nematodes are barely visible to the naked eye, but they are very effective. They are sent all over the world to be used in biological crop protection.

The main sales markets are currently in Europe and North America, but countries such as New Zealand and Africa are also increasingly relying on biological alternatives to chemical crop protection.

E-nema maintains close contact with its customers and will in future, be at the side of the mushroom grower as a partner with scientific expertise and an effective biological product against sciarids.

Despite the pandemic, sales of the north German company e-nema GmbH rose by more than 30% last year.

The company will continue to invest in modern systems and in the qualifications and motivation of its employees. Their number is expected to increase from currently 60 to 100 in the coming years and a doubling of sales from 10 million in 2019 to 20 million by 2024 is also planned.

In these huge bioreactors, e-nema GmbH produces useful nematodes for biological crop protection
Photo: k-film, Michael Kottmeier

Mushrooms are delicious to eat, they contribute to our health, but did you know that there are a number of species that have a medicinal effect?

Medicinal mushrooms contain polysaccharides, glucans and many minerals and B vitamins. These can make an important contribution to the treatment of many diseases and conditions. This includes chronic conditions, autoimmune diseases, cancer, skin conditions and allergies. Many studies have now proven the medicinal effect of these types of mushrooms.

Some examples of medicinal mushrooms are: Chaga, Lion's Mane, Cordyceps, Reishi, Shiitake and Maitake. Medicinal mushrooms do not cause a change in consciousness. So it doesn't get you high or stoned. Scientific studies have shown that the risk of side effects is also small. So it is safe to use these types of supplements. But if you are taking other medications? Always do this in consultation with a specialist.

In Asian countries, such as China, Japan and Korea, the use of medicinal mushrooms is one of the normal therapeutic treatments. And now medicinal mushrooms are also increasingly used in other countries of the world to fight diseases.

While it’s easy to decipher between shapes and colors, it’s not as easy to see the nutritional differences between mushrooms. Mushrooms are a nutrient powerhouse with each type offering beneficial nutrients such as vitamin D, selenium and B vitamins.

Health Benefits of Mushroom Varieties
This March, during National Nutrition Month,“Put Your Best Fork Forward” and dive deeper into the leading health benefits[1] behind four common mushroom varieties.

Low-Calorie
Opt for white buttons: Boasting just 18.5 calories per serving[2], white button mushrooms contain the lowest calories of all mushroom varieties. Additionally, white buttons provide 15 percent of the daily recommended intake of the vitamin B3, niacin. Niacin may promote healthy skin and digestive health.

Bone Health
Say hello to shiitakes: One serving of shiitake mushrooms is an excellent source of copper, offering 40 percent of the recommended daily intake. Copper helps keep bones and nerves healthy.

Immunity
Choose crimini: One serving of crimini mushrooms is an excellent source of selenium, containing 31 percent of the recommended daily intake. Selenium may help the immune system function properly.

Vitamin D
Make room for maitake: One serving of maitake mushrooms contains a whopping 236 percent of the daily recommended intake of vitamin D. Vitamin D may help build and maintain strong bones by helping the body absorb calcium. Additionally, it may support cell growth, neuromuscular and immune function, and help reduce inflammation.

For the full article, click here
Source: Mushroom Council

Mush Comb is growing and ready for the future

2020 has been a very turbulent year in the market and the mushroom industry. After a challenging first half of 2020, Mush Comb was able to catch up considerably in the second half of the year. Like any other company, there was an ambitious plan to grow, but Corona threw a spanner in the works. The market stalled and everyone switched to survival mode. Fortunately, the tide turned in July, orders came in again and Mush Comb was able to further shape its strategy. The company chose to invest instead of pulling the handbrake.

In November last year, 500 extra square meters of warehouse space, including storage racks, was added to the existing production floor. This made it possible to organize the production area much more efficiently. In October, 5S was introduced and each department has been given its own resources to ensure order and tidiness within production.
Besides expansion in resources and space, considerable investments have also been made on the personnel side. Mush Comb has hired several employees to realize the growth it envisizes in 2021.

In December 2020, the go-ahead was given to build an upper floor on the existing ground floor, so that the office space will also grow in surface area by 100%. The new building will be ready in May 2021, freeing up office space to relocate the engineering department and the canteen.
Despite the current challenging times, Mush Comb dares to invest and looks positively towards the future!

CSIR scientists say three food-processing cluster centres will be set up in Sikkim, each cluster likely to empower 250 households by providing them additional income.`

New Delhi: Scientists at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) have started a project that will allow farmers in Sikkim to earn additional income by cultivating Vitamin D-enriched shiitake, a mushroom native to East Asia.

The fragrant, large umbrella mushroom is mostly used in Japanese cuisine, but is becoming increasingly popular in India. The mushrooms are expensive because they grow in very specific conditions on logs of fallen trees. Although shiitake is cultivated in north-east India at present, researchers at CSIR-IHBT have created a new technology that allows these mushrooms to grow in controlled lab conditions much faster.

According to Rakshak Kumar Acharya, a microbiologist at IHBT, Palampur, the technology had been earlier transferred to a number of private companies in India.

“In Delhi markets, it is sold at 3,000 per kg. Rates are very high compared to other mushrooms. This is because it has a very good smoky and meaty flavour,” he told ThePrint.

Three food-processing cluster centres are being set up in Sikkim in collaboration with the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. Apart from facilities to grow the mushrooms, the centre will also have processing and packaging facilities. The government has allocated Rs 2.34 crore for each of the three cluster centres, and the foundation stone for the first centre was laid down on 29 January.

Enhancing Vitamin D content

The team at CSIR-IHBT has also created a process to enhance the Vitamin D content in these mushrooms in the lab.
According to the researchers, each cluster is likely to empower 250 households by providing additional income.

Credits and source of this article: The Print
For the complete article, click here

One of the most seen disease in mushroom farms is the dry bubble, caused by the fungus Verticillium fungicola. Its easy to get an infection in the farm and because the disease is very infectious it can spread quickly through the whole farm. Especially in big farms, where many pickers are working, the dry bubble will spread very fast and can cause a lot of damage and be that bad that 3rd breaks may be lost. Pickers should be getting all the information about the dry bubbles so they can detect the infection in an early stage.

A dry bubble in a 2nd break.

Dry bubble is generally caused by spores around the farms in windy, dusty conditions. On filling days when its windy outside with dust in the air its very well possible to get the dry bubbles into the farm. When they are spotted before he 1st break, the infection came in at filling. Once inside it’s a matter of time before the spores are everywhere if not handled well. Hygiene on the farm should be checked and especially have a good look at all the materials that are used for your mushroom waste like stem bins. Spores of bubbles will be present there if not cleaned well and can be spread if materials are getting moved between rooms. Also pickers are a concern for spreading the infection. Spores are sticky so everything that gets touched after touching a bubble can get infected, be aware!!!, it can go rapidly.

Removing the bubbles is off course also very important. When the pickers don’t recognize a bubble and are picking mushrooms while touching dry bubbles it will be always be hard to control the infection rate. Educate them well and spread around as much information as you have to inform pickers about the diastase and the big risk it has on the results of the farm. Let them, or the picking lead, report the infection so a special crew can handle it the right way.

When the pickers recognize the bubbles, the next step is removing the infection as soon as possible. Makes sure when you remove the bubble you don’t spread the spores what will results in more bubbles within 4 to 5 days. Use a wet tissue to cover infected spots too avoid the spread and remove all the spot including the casing soil, using a plastic bag. Close the bag immediately after you have the bubble and surrounded casing soil inside and remove the bag from the farm as soon as possible. You can also leave it in the affected room and remove it after cook-out. After removing it use salt or ammonia to cover the infected area and inspect the area every day to see if the infection is spreading.

It all comes down to a good hygiene, organization and education. Infection can occur suddenly but if threated the right way can also be stopped rapidly. Organize it well so that infections get removed before rooms get picked or watered, those are moments when spores will spread. If everybody recognizes the disease and knows what to do and handles right, bigger problems can be avoided. Hygiene is key, not only for dry bubbles, and should never be underestimated.

Erik de Groot
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Soon we will also be able to build houses with the influence of mushrooms.

Researchers have made a brick from mushrooms. The building material we know today is not good for the environment due to the emission of carbon dioxide. This 'mushroom brick' in below video of Verge Sience is carbon neutral and you can see how this stone was created.