ढींगरी मशरूम की प्रजाति का चुनाव

01Dhingri is a family, not one mushroom

Oyster mushroom, dhingri in Hindi, is the common name for a group of fungi in the genus Pleurotus. Each species has its own fruiting temperature, the air temperature at which mushroom bodies form on the bag.

ICAR-DMR sorts them into two groups. Winter or low temperature species fruit at 10-20 C: Pleurotus ostreatus, P. florida, P. eryngii, P. fossulatus and P. cornucopiae. Summer or moderate temperature species fruit at 16-30 C: P. flabellatus, P. sapidus, P. citrinopileatus and P. sajor-caju.

So the first question is not 'how do I grow oyster' but 'which oyster, in which month, in which room'.

02Read the DMR temperature table

DMR's species table gives two numbers per species: the spawn-run temperature, when white mycelium spreads through the straw, and the fruiting temperature.

P. florida runs at 25-30 C and fruits at 18-22 C. P. sajor-caju runs at 25-32 C and fruits at 22-26 C. P. flabellatus runs at 25-30 C and fruits at 22-26 C. P. eryngii, the Kabuli dhingri, runs at 18-22 C and fruits at 14-18 C.

These are source-specific examples, not a universal relationship between stages. Match the supplier's strain protocol to the measured room conditions. Active substrate can differ from room air; measure both instead of assuming a fixed temperature offset.

03Season by region in India

The DMR seasonal folder gives a calendar. On the north Indian plains dhingri grows from September to May. In the mid-hills it grows all year. In the high hills it grows from May to August. Coastal states can grow oyster, paddy straw and milky mushroom in the natural climate all year; central and western India can grow dhingri in every season except summer.

Within that calendar, switch species. The oyster folder says: in summer grow P. sajor-caju, P. flabellatus, P. sapidus, P. djamor or P. citrinopileatus; in winter, when air falls below 20 C, choose P. florida or P. cornucopiae.

04Colour, grade and the unit you build

Temperature also sets colour. DMR reports P. florida caps light brown at 10-15 C but white to pale yellowish at 20-25 C; P. sajor-caju at 15-19 C is white with high dry matter, at 25-30 C brown with less. Below 100 lux of light caps go pale yellow; in bright light dark brown. Buyer preferences vary with market and product. Agree colour, cluster size and maturity with the intended buyer instead of assuming all buyers want white mushrooms.

Then settle the unit. A seasonal room follows the weather and changes species by season. A controlled room holds one band all year at much higher cost. The folder says an 18 x 15 x 10 foot room holds about 300 bags; start with one room and one species.