On October 8, staffs working in Tianping Mushroom Base of Tianping Town, Yuping County, Guizhou Province of China are plunging into the picking, airing and packing work of Agrocybe cylindracea.
Operated in January, 2018, Tianping Mushroom Base carries 22.264 million CNY of gross input and occupies 100 mu of area, up to now, 43 steel-frame mushroom greenhouses that absorb 1.8 million bags have been built within the base.
“From January to now, 5 times of fruiting have been realized, gross mushroom production totaled over 800,000 kg and total production value hit above 6.1 million CNY,” said related principal passionately, continuing that in 2019, Tianping Mushroom Base proposes to expand the scale, annually input 3.8 million bags so as to achieve the projected annual production value of 21 million CNY while it also plans to lead at least 100 masses to embark on this promising industry.

hiitake is an edible mushroom which is mostly used in Japanese and Chinese cooking where it grows naturally. For centuries the mushroom has been grown in the far east and is praised for its healing abilities. Shiitake mushroom contains vitamin B and C, resulting in the increase of the natural resistance of the human body and it is also known to lower blood pressure and cholesterol.
The global Shiitake mushroom market has witnessed constant demand during the last few years and is projected to reach USD 35.4 billion at a CAGR of 15.31% by 2023. Moreover, increasing popularity of Shiitake mushroom in cosmetics is adding fuel to the growth of Shiitake mushroom. High consumption of Shiitake mushroom in Asia Pacific, mainly in China is influencing the market growth since last few years.
Shiitake mushrooms are like Portabella in that they have a meaty flavor and texture and are best cooked. When cooked, Shiitakes release a garlic-pine aroma and have a rich, earthy, umami flavor. It was also a surprise to discover that Shiitake mushrooms are a good source of protein, good enough to replace beef even.
China is hailed as The World’s Largest Mushroom Producer And Exporter. According to statistical data displayed by CIEDATA, from January to June of 2018, China’s gross export on dried mushroom totaled 96,795 tons, up 25.7%. And, since 2014, mushroom export has been revealing a steady growth in China.
On aspect of export value, from January to June of 2018, China’s gross export value on dried mushroom hit 161.593 million CNY, up 37.1%.

Fungi can be used to break down waste plastic and create sustainable building materials, according to scientists from Kew Gardens in London.

The State of the World's Fungi 2018 report – the first of its kind – highlights the aspergillus tubingensis fungus, found in a Pakistani rubbish tip and first documented in 2017. It claims this substance can break down plastic in weeks rather than years.

Researchers say it could be used to deal with the global plastic-waste crisis, which has caused concern in the design industry and beyond.

Aspergillus tubingensis can grow on the surface of plastics, where it secretes enzymes that break the chemical bonds between plastic molecules.

"This ability thus has potential to be developed into one of the tools desperately needed to address the growing environmental problem of plastic waste," reads the report.

For the full report, please click here

What is the absolute moisture content of the air? Or the enthalpy of the air? More and more growers have a handy app that reads out these values. I always ask: “What do you do with this data?” I don’t always get an answer. Because it’s not about the numbers. The best way to understand this is to use a sponge as an example. It’s much clear and you can combine it with the Mollier diagram. Use this link to download the coloured Mollier diagram (pdf).

A sponge?

Air can be compared to a sponge. As air cools, it shrinks. This means its holds less moisture. The same thing happens if you squeeze a wet sponge. So how does this work in the Mollier diagram? Trace the blue line straight downwards and the diagram will literally show you what happens. The temperature drops and the RH rises. Following the lines in the Mollier diagram gives you insight into what happens to the climate. Simply reading values in an app doesn’t give you the same understanding. My philosophy is to draw lines on the diagram. Doing this will teach you much more about the effects on the climate that just reading some figures!

Conclusion: download the Mollier diagram and place it close to the climate controller so you gain a better understanding of what the climate controller does. If this doesn’t work, there are two options:
The basic settings in the climate controller are incorrect. In my consultancy role I often ask: “Why is the growing room climate set this way?” The answer is sometimes: “The computer controls and regulates the climate”. But who controls the computer? You do, so you have to understand how it works! If not, ask your advisor or installer for help.

Or

You don’t understand fully how the Mollier diagram works. For a good, step-by-step explanation take a look at chapter 6 about the Mollier diagram in the Mushroom Signals book. This chapter clearly explains all the principles of how to read and understand the diagram.

Mark den Ouden, Mushroom Office

Master class course 22-27 October is almost fully booked, next course 18-23 February 2019!

In China, production and marketing of Shiitake mushroom is transformed by cultivation season. For example, in Southern China, intensive marketing time of Shiitake mushroom is from November to next April, however, in northern part, the time starts from September to next June, plus with the marketing time from April to October in high-altitude and cold area, which indicates the year-round marketing. And, as the marketing time and region vary from product to product, price of mushroom products also shows diverse change rules.
From 2012 to 2017, output of Shiitake mushroom ranked first amongst those of all mushroom varieties in China. In previous years, consumption growth of fresh Shiitake mushroom and its desirable market quotation considerably extended the cultivation area, Zhejiang, Fujian, Henan and Hubei Province became “China’s Main Four Production Regions of Shiitake mushroom”.
In recent years, driven by Western Development, Precise Poverty Alleviation and other national policies, large-scale Shiitake mushroom cropping has been expanded to Guizhou, Yunnan, Hebei, Sichuan, Shandong, Shanxi Province and Northeast China, rapid growth on national Shiitake output and surplus primary products flutuate or even decline the market price tendency of Shiitake mushroom.
On aspect of export of Shiitake mushroom products in China, it reveals a steady growth trend. According to data from Chinese Customs, from January to November of 2017, China’s gross export volume of Shiitake mushroom came to 132623.3 tons, average unit price was at 13,949.7 USD per ton, fell by 2,2%. And, from 2014 to 2017, both export volume and export value of Shiitake mushroom showed an sustained growth trend in China.