ढींगरी के लिए भूसा तैयार करना और उसका उपचार

01What the straw gives the mushroom

The substrate is the material the mycelium eats. For oyster in India it is usually wheat or paddy straw; DMR notes most such substrates hold 0.5-0.8 per cent nitrogen, enough without additives. Use fresh, dry straw from the current season, stored under cover; old or rain-wet straw brings ink caps and moulds.

Chop so it packs evenly. The DMR folder machine-cuts hard residues to about 2-3 cm; the 2011 manual chops 5-10 cm for hot water; TNAU uses 5 cm. DMR allows wheat or rice bran as a supplement but warns it raises bag temperature by 2-3 C or more, so not in summer.

02Hot water: the small grower's method

Pasteurisation means heating straw enough to kill or weaken competitor moulds without sterilising it. Hot water is the simplest route.

The DMR folder soaks straw overnight, then heats the water to 60-65 C and holds the straw in it for 20-30 minutes. The 2011 manual gives longer schedules: 65-70 C for one hour, or 60-120 minutes at 80 C, or paddy straw at 85 C for 30-45 minutes. Both are DMR; the folder is the seasonal grower protocol.

Drain until the straw holds about 65-70 per cent moisture, a figure DMR gives in its milky folder for the same treatment. Squeeze test: no drip, palm just damp.

03Steam, chemical and sterile methods

Larger units use steam. The manual packs pre-wetted straw in trays and holds a pasteurisation room at 58-62 C for four hours; the whole cycle takes 3-5 days. The folder's tunnel holds 60-65 C for about four hours.

DMR also describes chemical steeping: straw soaked 12-18 hours in water with a fungicide and formalin, which suppresses competitor moulds for 25-40 days after spawning. This lesson gives no doses; both chemicals carry regulatory and residue conditions, so check current label approval and prefer hot water if unsure.

The sterile method autoclaves soaked straw in polypropylene bags at 20 psi for 1-2 hours. It suits laboratories, not a first farm.

04Contamination controls that cost nothing

Competitor moulds can cut oyster yield by up to 70 per cent, so prevention beats any cure. DMR asks for the spawning room to be disinfected two days before spawning and kept closed. Wash the draining floor; keep hands, buckets and knives clean.

The opening and drainage pattern belongs to the chosen bag method. It does not by itself guarantee substrate temperature; inspect drainage and measure conditions. Use the supplied product's batch-specific storage and use-by instructions; age alone does not establish quality. Keep flies out with fine net on doors and windows. Keep suspect bags closed and limit movement. Follow a competent containment and locally appropriate disposal procedure rather than dumping material in an outdoor pit.