GROWING GOURMET - Anto2ni.it

Figure 188. The Button mushroom (Agaricus brunnescens) fruiting from cased grain.
is introduced. Consequently, several other
phenomena occur: evaporation is increased,
humidity drops, temperature changes, and the
net number of contaminant particles entering
the growing room rises as air exchanges are
increased.
Temperature: As a general rule, incubation
temperature runs higher than the temperature
for primordia formation. Internal temperatures
should not exceed 95° F. (35° C.) or black pin
molds and other thermophilic competitors will
awaken, especially under the rich CO2 conditions
created as a by-product of spawn running.
Lighting: For the species described in this
book, moderate lighting has no effect, adverse
or advantageous, on the mycelium during
spawn run. Bright, unfiltered, direct sunlight is
damaging. Light is especially harmful when
intensities exceed 10,000 lux. From my experiences,
the mycelial mat only becomes
GROWTH PARAMETERS 213
photosensitive after it has achieved a threshold
critical mass, usually coincident with full colonization,
and after carbon dioxide evolution
has steeply declined.
PRIMORDIA
FORMATION:
The Initiation Strategy
By far the most critical step is that of primordia
formation, called the initiation strategy. An
initiation strategy can be best described as a
shift in environmental variables, triggering the
formation of mushrooms. The four major environmental
factors operative in an initiation
strategy are: moisture, air exchange, temperature
and light. These are adjusted accordingly:
Moisture: Direct watering is applied,
coupled with a constant, controlled rate of
evaporation to maintain high humidity between
95-100%. Fog-like conditions are
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