Verification of farm hygiene efficacy by paint roller sampling
Whole-farm hygiene is a critical component in mitigating the costly impact of pests and diseases on mushroom quality and yield. Hygiene forms a critical core pillar of an effective farm Integrated Pest and Disease Management (IPDM) program, and enforcing strict preventative hygiene protocols is the most cost-effective disease management strategy available in the mushroom growers’ toolbox.
Using an innovative approach, Warwick and Judy adopted standard paint rollers as sampling tools and verified their applicability by direct plating to ‘up-sized’ culture dishes – replacing standard 9cm-diameter Petri dishes – that could accommodate the length of various paint rollers (Gill & Allan 2016). Paint rollers offer wide and rapid coverage, ease of use, good spore pickup from all surfaces, cost-effectiveness and compatibility with modern diagnostic tools—making them well-suited for mushroom farm pathogen detection.
Research from around the world - Express Testing for Trichoderma
Imagine if you had a simple, colourimetric test, conducted by either the compost maker or the grower, to double check compost is Trichoderma free...
Serbian and French researchers have imagined exactly that. Their focus is particularly on organic growers, who cannot use other management strategies.
Recent Advances in Managing Trichoderma
Trichoderma is a genus of fungi found in virtually every soil, everywhere, and is often the number one enemy of the healthy, productive mushroom farm. New research is now shedding light on not only why this fungus is such a problem during Agaricus production, but also some potential new control strategies.
Trichoderma is a genus of fungi found in virtually every soil, everywhere, and is often the number one enemy of the healthy, productive mushroom farm. New research is now shedding light on not only why this fungus is such a problem during Agaricus production, but also some potential new control strategies.
Cladobotryum spp. – Cobweb disease
Cobweb is the common name given to a fungal disease affecting Agaricus bisporus crops in mushroom growing regions worldwide.
It is caused by species of the genus Cladobotryum (formerly Dactylium), primarily Cladobotryum mycophilum and Cladobotryum dendroides. The pathogen grows rapidly over the casing surface and colonizes mushrooms at all stages of development with a white aerial mycelium, causing a destructive soft rot. Cladobotryum sporulates heavily and the spores are easily spread around the farm causing secondary infections. Spores landing on mushroom caps incite browning, causing loss of quality.
Until the early 1990s, cobweb outbreaks had little impact and were easily controlled by available fungicides and routine hygiene practices. But during the early 1990s, the incidence and severity of cobweb on British mushroom farms increased and in 1994/95 the disease reached epidemic proportions, regularly causing up to 40% crop loss.
Penicillium hermansii – Smoky mould
Smoky mould is a destructive compost infection first recognized in the Netherlands nearly 30 years ago. Despite being identified as various Penicillium species over the years, the true identity of the causal organism has only recently been confirmed through molecular analysis as Penicillium hermansii.
Penicillium species produce long chains of very small, lightweight, dry spores which are around 0.002mm in diameter (Fig. 1) and become airborne very easily. A single Penicillium colony (Fig. 2) will produce 400,000,000 spores per day. Although P. hermansii is very slow growing, it is problematic because of the large number of spores it produces and its short generation time. Penicillium hermansii will sporulate only three or four days after infection, producing thousands of daughter colonies which in turn sporulate rapidly.
Fact sheet: Syzygites megalocarpus – Troll doll
Troll doll is caused by Syzygites megalocarpus a Zygomycete which is ubiquitous in nature, colonizing a diverse variety of dead or moribund fleshy mushrooms. Syzygites (pronounced “size‐a‐guy‐tees”) was initially observed on cultivated mushrooms between 2004 and 2007 in crops of Agaricus blazei (Sun mushroom) in Brazil.
It was first recorded in Pennsylvania in August 2011 and has since become widespread on commercial beds throughout North America.
Confined initially to late flushes of brown portobello strains of Agaricus bisporus, Syzygites has since been observed on earlier flushes and on white strains of Agaricus bisporus. Due to the mould’s tolerance to low temperatures, it has also been observed in postharvest packaged product, the mould appearing while on the store shelf.