The interest of farmers towards button mushroom farming in India is increasing daily. This is because mushrooms are considered very nutritious for the human body. People who want to consume healthy and easily digestible food instead of vegetables prefer mushrooms because they fulfil the needs of mineral salts, proteins, and vitamins.
This leads to increased demand for mushrooms, making their large-scale farming profitable. Among their wide variety, we are describing the guide to button mushroom farming, which is a popular one.
Introduction to Button Mushrooms
The stem of this mushroom is short and thick like a button, which later matures and takes the form of an umbrella. Its cap is 5-7 cm in diameter, 3-4 cm long and 1-2 cm thick.
Button Mushroom Farming Requirements
Button Mushroom farming is a better option for farmers because it gives profits quickly. Moreover, cultivate button mushrooms with the help of a Kartar tractor.
Let’s look at the complete process of button mushroom farming.
Climate For Button Mushroom Farming
Button mushroom farming requires a cool climate. That’s why it is grown in the winter season from October to March. A 16°C to 25°C temperature is suitable for mushroom yield, and a fungus trap requires the same temperature and 80-85% moisture.
Planting Season In Button Mushroom Farming
The best sowing time for button mushrooms is from October to March. Moreover, button mushrooms are grown twice in these 6 months. The first crop of button mushrooms requires 22°C to 26°C, and the fungus spreads very fast at this temperature. On the other hand, 14°C to 18°C degrees is ideal for its second crop.
Button Mushrooms Compost Preparation
For button mushroom farming, a special type of fertiliser, called compost, is required, and it can be distributed evenly with the help of an Ace tractor. The following materials are needed to prepare compost:
- Ammonium Sulphate
- Urea
- Calcium Ammonium Nitrate
- Wheat or Paddy Straw
- Wheat Bran
- Super Phosphate
Compost is prepared in the shed, which takes up to 28 days.
Firstly, the straw is spread on a flat, clean floor by pouring water for 2 days. This straw should have up to 75% moisture. After running water on the straw laid for 2 days, break the straw once and see if it is dry inside, then add more water, and when the broken straw is wet, mix other ingredients except for gypsum and sprinkle water.
Note that water should not come out of the straw. Prepare a square pile of 3m long, 1m wide and about 1 1⁄2 m high from this straw. After 3 days, the pile has to be turned upside down, and farmers can use a Digitrac tractor for this process.
Button Mushroom Seed Sowing
The button mushroom seed should be free from fungus and grow healthy. About 1 KG of seeds can be grown in one quintal compost. Moreover, these seeds are mixed well in compost. For sowing, seeds are filled in polythene sheets or polythene bags. The next step is filling 8 KG of compost in these bags. Remember to keep room temperature less than 26°C and the humidity up to 70%.
Mushroom Casing
Soak the mushrooms in water for 8 hours. After 8 hours, remove the water, dry it and sterilise it by adding 6% formalin to the casing soil. Now, apply casing soil on an inch-thick layer of compost.
The minimum temperature of the mushroom storage room should be 20°C, and the humidity should be 70 to 90 per cent. Small mushrooms start sprouting 10-12 days before casing. During this, spray 0.3 percent calcium chloride with water on the casing twice daily. The mushrooms take full shape within 5-7 days, and they are plucked by twisting them. The lower soil part is cut with a knife and separated. The crop starts getting after 80 days of planting the casing.
Yield And Profits In Button Mushroom Farming
Seeing the better earnings from button mushroom farming, its trend has increased rapidly in the last few years. Moreover, the production cost of 1 kg of mushroom for farmers is Rs 25 to 30, and the mushrooms are sold at Rs 40 to 50.
Benefits Of Mushroom
The folic acid in mushrooms boosts hemoglobin and iron in the blood. Apart from this, button mushrooms are also beneficial in heart disease and blood pressure. Today, many types of mushrooms are being grown, but not all kinds of mushrooms are edible. Among these mushrooms, button mushrooms are far ahead in production and income.
Stay tuned with us for more details about profitable farming trends.
