Lab Summary 11/7/12 Trip to Monterrey Mushroom Farm
Departed from College Station,TX to Madisonville, TX at 8:45am in three vehicles. The Ebbole Team was bringing up the rear. Scientific discussion ensued as we traveled eastward about the mating type genes and proteins pertaining to papers being reviewed in Ebbole's fungal genetics class.
As we arrived to the final destination, we were greeted by the plant manager. He had been working for Monterrey Mushroom for 36 years!!
1. Chicken manure, urea, and water are added to the straw. (11days)
2. Continue compost for 9 days until dark brown in color, free from an ammonia smell, then pasteurized.
3. Sterile millet seeds are coated with mushroom mycelium and spread over the top of the pasteurized compost. Then a layer of peat moss is spread over the top of the spawn.
4. Spawn rooms for 13 days. Temperature, humidity and CO2 levels are critical for the growth of spawn.
5. Set backs 11 days
6. Production rooms 21 days
7. Post crop room 12 hours
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| Sample of the different straw textures as the raw straw on the left begins to compost and render ready for inoculation of the mushroom mycelium. |
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| Composting straw |
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| Raw straw bales |
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| Conveyer moving composted straw to pasteurizer |
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| Tray with spawn and peat moss layer |
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| Mushrooms ready for harvest |
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| Initial growth of spawn into mushrooms |
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| Mushrooms ready to be delivered to retail stores |
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