GROWING GOURMET - Anto2ni.it

C H A P T E R 1 8
Cultivating Gourmet
Mushrooms on Agricultural
Waste Products
Many wood decomposers can be grown on alternative
substrates such as cereal straws, corn stalks, sugar cane bagasse,
coffee pulp, banana fronds, seed hulls, and a wide variety of
other agricultural waste products. Since sources for hardwood byproducts
are becoming scarce due to deforestation, alternative
substrates are in increasing demand by mushroom cultivators. However,
not all wood decomposers adapt readily to these wood-free
substrates. New mushroom strains that perform well on these alter-
native substrates are being selectively developed.
The more hearty and adaptive Pleurotus species are the best examples
of mushrooms which have evolved on wood, but readily
produce on agricultural waste products. When these materials are
supplemented with a high nitrogen additive (rice bran, for instance),
simple pasteurization may not adequately treat the substrate, and ster-
ilization is called for. (Without supplementation, pasteurization usually
suffices.) Each cultivator must consider his unique circumstances—
juxtaposing the available substrate components, species, facilities,
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