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Like all representatives of the Kingdom of Wildlife, mushrooms are not immune to disease and insect pests. The most common fungal diseases that infect mycelium during cultivation include various spots and rot. The most dangerous fungal pests are flies, ticks, mosquitoes, nematodes and various types of rodents.

Growing mushrooms is a fun and well controlled process. A bountiful harvest depends on many factors. Sometimes the grower fails to get a significant harvest. This is influenced by abiotic and biotic factors. The former include such as relative humidity, temperature, moisture level in compost and soil. Biotic factors include diseases and fungal pests. Diseases can appear at any stage of fungal development in the event of negative factors. For example, when mycelium is formed, compost with negative values ​​can cause the appearance of a disease. Biotic factors can be the biggest problem in mushroom cultivation, as the diseases they cause are similar in their symptoms. Indeed, to treat the disease, it is necessary to eliminate its cause, which is rather difficult to determine due to the similarity of symptoms.

You can familiarize yourself with the names and descriptions of fungal diseases, as well as ways to combat them in this article.

Signs of fungal diseases

The most common biotic signs of fungal diseases are parasitic and antagonistic fungi, viruses, bacteria and pests (nematodes, ticks, flies). In order to establish the disease, you will need the simplest equipment in the form of a binocular, a magnifying glass, etc. If you doubt your diagnosis, you will need to send samples to a laboratory for analysis.

Parasitic fungi, under favorable conditions for them, are capable of strongly infecting grown mushrooms. Parasitic fungi are distinguished by several characteristics. The most important of them is the spore-bearing structure. Most of these fungi do not infect the mycelium, but the fruit bodies. The sooner the parasites appear, the more damage the mushrooms will be. They can simply suppress their development or completely destroy them.

The effect of antagonist fungi on cultivated fungi is poorly understood. Most often they appear due to improperly prepared compost. Some types of such mushrooms grow and develop along with the mycelium of the grown mushrooms, taking away nutrients from them. Other antagonists appear after the development of the mycelium and have a depressing effect on all parts of the mycelium, retarding its development and growth. In any case, they reduce the yield. Antagonistic fungi can be seen in compost or on the soil surface by mycelium or by spores. They are also often referred to as plaster mold, lipstick mold, olive mold.

Equipment used when working with mushrooms must not be used in other types of work. Otherwise, you can transfer spores from the soil to the substrate.

Weed mushrooms are also able to grow together with cultivated ones. For example, mushroom mushrooms are often found in mushrooms. It develops when the substrate is waterlogged and free ammonia is present in it.

Ink mushrooms can only be collected every day and destroyed so that they do not stain the bags. Over time, they stop appearing. But the yield of cultivated mushrooms is declining, as the ink mushrooms have used up some of their nutrients.

Dung beetle is a competitive oyster mushroom. It consumes their nutrients, thereby reducing yields. It should be removed from the plantation and destroyed.To prevent its appearance, you can not feed the plants near the beds with oyster mushrooms.

Bacteria play a dual role in mushroom cultivation. Some types of bacteria are simply necessary for the successful development of the mycelium, for the substrate; others, on the other hand, cause serious illness. One of the most famous and serious diseases of cultivated fungi is caused by the bacillus. The bacteria are in the mycelium and do not affect its development. But they retard the growth of fruiting bodies, cause them to deform.

Diseases when growing mushrooms

Brown plaster caused by a brown mold fungus. More often affects mushrooms. Occurs when free ammonia is present in a raw or unripe substrate. Also, the reasons for its appearance can be high humidity of the air and substrate and insufficient ventilation. The pathogen feeds on the same nutrients as mushrooms, so it is also called a companion mushroom. White spots of various shapes appear on the coating layer or on the surface of the substrate. If the mycelium is rubbed with your fingers, then a characteristic sweetish smell is felt. After a while, the spots begin to darken from the middle. This means that sporulation begins. Spores are brown-coffee colored. White spots gradually disappear, and spores become invisible.

To prevent this disease, the substrate must be properly composted and pasteurized. The room should be constantly ventilated, and the substrate should be pollinated with gypsum.

Truffle disease occurs more often in the two-ringed champignon and is caused by Diehliomyces microsporias (Diehl and Lamb.) Gil. The false truffle lives in the soil. It gets into the substrate during composting on the ground. It begins to develop rather quickly at a high temperature of the substrate. The mycelium of the false truffle is invisible at first. It inhibits the mushroom mycelium, the fruiting of which is sharply reduced. Gradually, the mycelium of the cultivated fungus dies completely and the substrate becomes viscous, in it you can already see thick filaments of mycelium - rhizomorphs. After a while, small bodies of mushrooms are formed on them, resembling the brain of a calf. These are the fruiting bodies of the fungus. They are yellowish-white in color. Then they darken and disappear, as they break up into spores that infect a new substrate. The controversy is very viable. They can withstand the heat treatment of the substrate.

To prevent this type of fungal disease, composting should not be carried out on an earthen floor. The temperature in the piles should be as high as possible. The compost areas should be mixed. After interruptions, the piles are required to be sprayed with a 1% solution of copper sulfate. The cover layer should be thermally treated. Contaminated substrate should always be packed in bags before being disposed of in a landfill. This will help prevent the transfer of spores from it to surrounding objects.

Bacterial spot appears as dark spots on the mycelium. The cause of this disease is bacteriosis developing in a waterlogged substrate. They can also appear if the substrate has undergone insufficient or improper heat treatment, or if the temperature regime is not observed during the incubation of the substrate. To prevent this disease of the mycelium of fungi, all established rules must be strictly observed at all stages of work and the desired microclimate must be maintained.

The substrate is also sometimes affected by trichoderma. The disease results in patches of green mold on it, which reduce yields. The contaminated substrate should be destroyed immediately. To prevent this disease, the substrate must be thoroughly heat treated. It was also noticed that the selective substrate is less susceptible to infection with this disease.

Sometimes mushrooms grow with a small cap on a thin long stem. To correct this effect, it is necessary to additionally ventilate the room.This can be done with a conventional fan or made from a plastic bag a blower with nozzles.

To prevent contamination with bacteria, all rooms should be sprayed with a 2–4% solution of bleach 2 times a year. Then they must be closed for 2 days. Then ventilate well for 2 days. Twice a year, all walls should be whitewashed with a 1% solution of bleach. All residues of the substrate must be carefully removed.

Rusty spot manifests itself as clearly delineated rusty spots. They darken over time. The bacteria of this fungal disease appear at high humidity. This disease can quickly cover the entire plantation at once. To prevent disease, any disinfectant that contains chlorine should be added to the irrigation water.

Any cultivated mushroom has viruses or virus-like particles. They come in a variety of sizes and shapes. At the moment, the specific effect of viruses on the development of cultivated mushrooms is unknown. The only thing that can be said for sure is that all viruses and their particles lead to a decrease or even loss of yield, to various anomalies in the growth of fruit bodies, which cause a change in the shape of the fungus (early opening of the cap, too elongated legs).

White rot Is one of the most common diseases of cultivated mushrooms. She can destroy the entire plantation. The causative agent of this fungal disease is found in the casing layer. It should be disinfected to prevent disease. Affected mushrooms must be removed and burned. The beds are required to be watered with a disinfectant chlorine solution.

Dry rot also often infects cultivated mushrooms. Its causative agent is located in the soil cover. It infects cultivated mushrooms - brown spots appear on them. The legs of the affected mushrooms become thick; in old mushrooms, they even crack. Such mushrooms must be removed and destroyed immediately. To prevent this disease, the casing layer must be disinfected.

The main signs of fungal diseases are shown in these photos:

Pests of cultivated mushrooms

The pests of cultivated fungi are mushroom flies, ticks, mosquitoes, nematodes, and murine rodents.

Mushroom flies often infect cultivated fungi and damage the mycelium and fruiting bodies, which, in turn, are exposed to bacterial infections. The flies arrive on their own, they are attracted by the mushroom smell. They can also be brought along with the substrate. Flies are more likely to attack fungi in warm weather, when the air temperature is above 17 ° C.

Mushroom flies develop en masse during the growth and maturation of the mycelium. At this time, the substrate is indoors. It is usually kept for 5–6 weeks, and the larvae develop into adult flying flies within 24–38 days at an air temperature of 20–30 ° C. This period is most favorable for the development of pests with its comfortable indicators, such as temperature and humidity.

The first signs of the appearance of the larvae of these fungal pests are dark spots around the perforation of the mushroom block.

The danger increases if materials of different ages are stored indoors (flies and mosquitoes that are in the old block infect new ones). Pests enter through holes in the plastic and lay their eggs. The larvae that emerge from them damage the mycelium, which, in turn, becomes infected from moldy fungi and bacteria.

The main measures to combat mushroom fly are preventive. They should be carried out before sowing the mycelium into the substrate. All sources of infection must be removed before laying the substrate and during further care of the mushrooms. The room should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. If the air contains a large amount of vapors and harmful gases, then it is advisable to use a gas mask during work.

If the production of mushrooms is quite large, then special preparations can be used against adult insects. Before starting work, the entire room should be fumigated with vapors of Monophos or Pogos preparations (for 1000 m - 800 g). After that, the room must be closed for several hours. Then ventilate well and repeat the operation after a few days. These drugs are strong poisons, so you need to work with them very carefully. Light traps, sticky tapes, and hand-held vacuum cleaners are also used to control flies. They are also scared off by some odors, such as vanilla.

For the same purpose, it is better to equip incubation and cultivation rooms separately from each other.

Also, ordinary houseflies are able to lay their larvae on the substrate.

In addition, slugs can appear on the substrate. They spoil the fruiting bodies of the mushrooms. To combat slugs, potassium salt or superphosphate is used, which is sprinkled on the soil 3-4 times a year.

Mushroom gnat is one of the most dangerous pests for mushrooms and oyster mushrooms. It is a very small insect with a length of only 3 mm. Mosquitoes fly quickly and well, moving exactly to the room where the smell of compost and mycelium is delicious. Each female is able to lay up to 200 eggs. After a few days, larvae appear from them, similar to white worms with a black head. They are 4–6 mm long and can be easily seen with the naked eye. They live 12–20 days. During this time, the larvae manage to destroy the entire crop. They eat both mushrooms and mycelium. Product quality is also declining. In addition, mosquitoes carry ticks, spores of pathogenic microorganisms, nematodes.

The larvae gradually turn into pupae, then, after 4–7 days, into adults.

These insects develop very quickly and are highly fertile. They fill the entire mycelium almost instantly. Therefore, it is very difficult to deal with them. It is important to prevent infestation, that is, to prevent the first laying of pests' eggs in the substrate. Why is it necessary to install fine mesh on the ventilation holes. Overpressure must be created in the room itself. All cracks should be repaired and the doors should be sealed; you can also hang up glue traps, use ordinary sticky tape against flies. Also for this purpose, some gardeners use light traps, and special precautions are required.

If all of the above does not work, then chemical means of protection must be used.

They are usually used to disinfect premises between production runs or to treat the surfaces of the substrate and cover material when the mycelium is just beginning to grow. But this should be done no later than 25 days before the start of the harvest.

If you violate the terms and doses of insecticides, then this can cause the appearance of ugly fruiting bodies, delay the growth of mushrooms, and lead to the accumulation of residual amounts of pesticides in the mushrooms. Therefore, the most important rule of mushroom pickers is not to use pesticides during the period of fruit formation.

Before starting work, all equipment and shoes should be disinfected with a 50% formalin solution. Then it must be washed off with water.

The working fluid must be consumed quite sparingly: no more than 0.2 l / m for compost, and a little more for cover material - 1 l / m. Microbiological preparations based on Bacillus Thuringiensis are among the best against mushroom mosquitoes. But their working dose is less - about 25-30 g / m, but these drugs are environmentally friendly.

You can also apply folk remedies against mushroom mosquitoes. The beds must be covered with tomato tops, sprayed with dill oil.

Maintenance of order and cleanliness in and around the mushroom room should be mentioned as preventive measures. You also need to constantly remove the wormy fruiting bodies from the mycelium.

Table "Preparations approved against mushroom mosquitoes on mushroom crops":

Mites are also pests for fungi if grown on straw. The mites are smaller in size than mosquitoes - about 1 mm. Their body is oval, flat, yellow, white or pink. Adults have 4 pairs of legs, and larvae have 3 pairs. The female lays up to 400 eggs. Ticks are able to move quickly and crawl under clothes, causing very unpleasant itching. The mite larvae damage the mycelium, and the adults make moves in the fruiting bodies.

Ticks enter the mycelium together with straw. They develop rapidly in an insufficiently pasteurized or poorly fermented substrate. In order to get rid of them, you just need to replace the straw.

Another type of mite enters the substrate along with the manure. The female lays about 40 eggs in the substrate or casing layer. The tick develops over several days to a month. In fungi infected with ticks, the base of the leg turns brown, the cap turns pink.

To prevent mite infestation of the substrate, it must be kept at a temperature of 59 ° C for about 12 hours. The cover soil must be disinfected for 8 hours at a temperature of 60 ° C. Between the beds of mushrooms, you need to spray with suitable preparations.

Nematodes are also among the pests of cultivated mushrooms. They are small worms 0.5 mm long. Their mouthpieces are like a dagger. They prick the threads of the mycelium onto it. You cannot see them with the naked eye. They can almost always be found in the mushroom substrate. Nematodes are of different types: some suck out all the nutrients from the cells of the mycelium, reducing the yield of mushrooms; other products of their vital activity alkalize the substrate, thereby deteriorating its quality. The most dangerous are those nematodes that devour the mycelium.

An area affected by nematodes can be recognized quite easily. The substrate in such a place becomes dark, moist; in addition, it acquires a rather specific smell. The mycelium never grows in this area. Such infertile areas are the first sign of nematode infestation. If there are many of them, then they very quickly move to the stage of swarming. At this stage, white columns are formed on the covering material. They can be up to 0.5 cm high and represent tens and hundreds of thousands of individuals. Swarming nematodes are very easy to pick up from the substrate and transfer to another place. Moreover, this is carried out by both service personnel and insects.

In order to avoid this, it is very important to observe all the necessary hygiene rules during the harvest season. After completing the collection and before unloading the substrate, the room must be steamed.

Favorable conditions for the development of various nematodes are created during the fermentation of the compost heap. The emerging nematode species are resistant to many environmental conditions, even to high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia. They are only afraid of high temperatures. Therefore, for preventive purposes, the substrate must be well interrupted and pasteurized.

Woodlicespringtails also harm cultivated fungi. They attack the mycelium. These invertebrates live in the soil and enter the substrate when it comes into contact with the ground. Therefore, you cannot prepare the substrate on the ground or arrange beds on the earthen floor.

Dung fly is also one of the pests of cultivated mushrooms. Her female lays 30 eggs in the manure. The larvae emerging from them enter the plantation along with the manure. They are usually several millimeters long, with black heads. The larvae are very voracious, they eat fruiting bodies, gnawing passages in them. Very quickly, adults are born from the larvae, which carry various diseases of fungi, as well as ticks and nematodes. Other types of flies are also harmful to fungi. This pest is usually dealt with with appropriate chemicals.

Prevention of fungal diseases

All organisms get sick someday, there are no exceptions. It is known that any disease is easier to prevent than to cure. And mushrooms in this sense are no exception. All fungi suffer from viruses, parasitic fungi, and harmful insects.

The latter are often carriers of various diseases. In the mycelium, everything is interconnected, so it is better to prevent the disease than to cure it; moreover, in some cases this is impossible.

Pest control during intensive mushroom cultivation is rather difficult, since most of all pests are located in the depths of the substrate and are not visible.

The main rule that allows you to prevent many diseases is the observance of sanitary safety measures in the mycelium. Parasites never give relief and do not forgive mistakes in pasteurization, composting techniques, staff violations of sanitary rules and conditions for maintaining a microclimate. Many farms introduce a whole system of penalties for violations of sanitary rules. This often turns out to be a fairly effective method.

The most common causes and sources of diseases and pests are unfiltered air, poorly pasteurized compost, poorly sterilized potting soil, contaminated planting mycelium, unscrupulous sterilization of tools, violations of sanitary rules in the mycelium.

Any disease that has settled in the mycelium immediately spreads in various ways. Viral diseases penetrate through the spores of fungi, with the help of insects and ticks. Fungal pathogens are transmitted from the hands of workers during harvesting, from insects. Bacteria are introduced into the mycelium with water droplets during watering, with adult insects. All pests sprawl and scatter themselves, hiding in all the small crevices of the wood. It is almost impossible to get them out of there.

Jacques Delmas, a French specialist, developed 10 commandments, the observance of which allows you to avoid almost all the troubles and problems associated with competing or parasitic organisms on fungi. These are the commandments.

It is imperative to disinfect everything related to mushrooms - these are rooms, tools, equipment, boxes, baskets for mushrooms, etc.

For growing mushrooms, you should choose isolated rooms so that foreign organisms cannot enter them. All ways of penetration of diseases and pests must be blocked.

The covering soil for growing mushrooms must be sterilized or taken already sterilized. A wide variety of microorganisms can live in it. Sterilized is a mixture that has been treated with steam or formalin. Sterile soil is extracted from the ground.

All waste must be taken out immediately.

Sources of biological pollution, such as waste compost, manure, collected mushrooms, production waste, must not be left near the mycelium. You also need to beware of chemical contamination. It can manifest itself in the form of toxic fumes and vapors that spread through the ventilation system.

The room in which the disease has arisen must be immediately isolated from the rest and thoroughly disinfected.

It is required to follow the composting technology very precisely. You only need to compost on a concrete floor. Remember that in the ground there are often many different microorganisms that cause diseases.

Compost should only be prepared at a certain temperature, humidity and aeration. Only in this case will the substrate be selective for the fungus, that is, it will be suitable specifically for fungi, and not for competing microorganisms.

At all stages of the development of the fungus, one must always be very zealous to monitor the optimal microclimate conditions.

All work in the mycelium must be performed in the direction from those premises where mushrooms are just beginning to grow to those in which they are harvesting, that is, from young crops to old ones. You cannot move in the opposite direction.

Compliance with these commandments always begins with the disinfection of the premises. It should be carried out even in new myceliums, before loading the compost. If it is a bomb shelter, mine working or other room with stone walls, then the surface of them and the ceiling must also be thoroughly washed. If the floor is earthen, then the top layer should be removed. The stone ceiling and walls need to be whitewashed. In this case, it is required to add a 30% solution of copper sulfate to the lime. It is necessary to whiten regularly. This will guarantee clean, almost sterile air. In other rooms, the walls and ceiling must be treated with chemical disinfectants. They will be discussed below.

For microbiological protection of the substrate from various bacteria and viruses, thermophilic bacteria must be multiplied in it.

The most important thing in the mycelium is the disinfection of the premises at the end of the cultivation and the neutralization of the used substrate. Everything else will be effective only if the first two conditions are met. All pathogens and pests multiply within a certain period of time. They need it for development, and only then will they begin to suppress the mycelium of the cultivated fungus. It is clear that the sooner they are in the mycelium, the more harm they will do. In this connection, the substrate used plays a decisive role, since it is in it that spores, larvae of pathogens and pests are preserved. If the old substrate is removed on a stretcher or wheelbarrow, then its remnants, even the smallest particles, can accidentally fall out on the road. If the used substrate is piled up next to the mycelium or taken out on the same transport that is used for the new substrate, then in such cases there will be no good harvest.

The spent substrate can be removed in two ways. At the first, it is taken out and disinfected. But it is better to take it as far as possible or sell it to greenhouse owners. However, the substrate should be moistened before this with water or 4% formalin solution, 1% copper sulfate solution or chlorinated phenol. Wet substrates are safer than dry substrates. In the second method, the substrate must be disinfected on site or thermally processed. In any case, the chamber must be thermally treated. You can disinfect in two ways: by steaming and chemically. When steaming, the room is treated for 12 hours at a temperature of 70–100 ° C. In the corner farthest from the source of steam, an electronic thermometer should be placed on the bottom of the compost and its readings should be monitored. Introduce water vapor into the chamber. When the temperature rises to 70 ° C, start timing. The mycelium must be thermally insulated, and the insulation layer itself must be located so that steam does not get on it. If the inner walls are not airtight, they should be covered with plastic wrap. This measure will help destroy pathogens. The building support system must be able to withstand all temperature fluctuations. Buildings that are not prepared for this very quickly fall into disrepair. If mushrooms are grown in large quantities, then steam sterilization is the best way. Also, this method is the safest.

In small myceliums at the base, on the occasion of prepared buildings, it is better to carry out chemical thermal treatment.The easiest way is as follows: powdered sulfur must be mixed with ammonium or potassium nitrate in a ratio of 1: 3, placed on iron baking sheets and set on fire. At the same time, the room should be tightly closed. Sulfur dioxide will turn out, which will disinfect the room. In this case, the concentration of sulfur dioxide should not exceed 40 mg / m. Otherwise, it will be very difficult to ventilate the room. Then you need to air it for at least 10 days.

The most reliable way is to fumigate the room with methylene bromide. High-quality sterilization occurs at a temperature of 20-25 ° C at a dose of 600 g per hour / m2, as if the room was treated with 1% methyl bromide for 17 hours. But within 16 hours, the concentration of the chemical (fumigant) decreases by 2 times, therefore experienced professionals usually prepare a double dose in advance. Methylene bromide should be used in conjunction with 2% chloropyrkine, as the former is odorless and the tear gas will immediately detect leaks.

Wooden structures always serve as a good shelter for various insects and pests. In addition, they do not tolerate steam treatment quite well, as they quickly get soaked. That is why all wooden buildings must be impregnated with sodium parachlorophenolate or sodium pentachlorophenolate. They will not only protect the tree from rotting, but will also serve as an obstacle for all insects. Alternatively, after each thermal treatment, the wooden parts can be moistened with a solution of bleach and carbolic acid. The treated substrate is disinfected with the same mixture.

Steam treatment with chemicals can be combined. For example, first treat all walls, floors, shelves with chlorophos with cuprozan and then steam everything for 6 hours. Or treat the room with concentrated 40% formalin or a mixture of copper sulfate and lime. First, the walls, floor and ceiling should be washed with a 1% solution of chlorine alkali. Then fumigate the room with formaldehyde. For 100 square meters, you need to take 2 liters of 40% formalin and 400 g of bleach. Place the bleach in open enamel or porcelain containers. Place dishes with lime on the floor over the entire area of ​​the room, add formaldehyde. The result is formaldehyde gas, which will envelop the entire room. Formaldehyde should be poured in the direction from the inside of the room to the exit. The whole process needs to be done very quickly. Then close the doors for 2 days. Then ventilate the room for 4 days.

You can spray it with a 4% bleach solution. To do this, dilute the required amount of lime in a small amount of water. This is best done in a wooden bowl. Then add water to obtain a solution of the required concentration, and leave to infuse for 2 hours. Spray the room with the solution. Then close it for 2 days. This procedure should be carried out 15 days before the application of the substrate. Chlorine should all evaporate.

You can also spray a room with formalin. For 10 liters of water, take 0.25 liters of 40% formalin. For 100 m of the room, 20 liters of solution will be required. The room must be well sprayed and tightly closed for 2 days. Then ventilate.

Formalin is a necessary agent for growing mushrooms. But it practically does not protect against harmful insects and does not always destroy fungal spores.

The source of infection is very often dust with spores. A wet mat soaked in disinfectant should be placed in front of each door. Everyone who enters the premises is required to step on it. In addition, water all passages with 2% formalin solution every morning. All instruments should be soaked in the same solution.

For the harvest, you need to use new baskets each time. It is better not to take boxes. If old baskets are taken, then they must certainly be disinfected in a solution of bleach.If mushrooms are grown in plastic bags, then they do not need to be disinfected, since they are used only once. Wooden crates are required to be cleaned and disinfected after each harvest. The latter should be carried out very often with steam for 12 hours, or for this purpose all items should be immersed in a solution of one of the disinfectants, for example sodium pentachlorophenolate. At the first signs of the appearance of nematodes, you need to immediately get rid of the old container and acquire a new one.

It is very difficult to protect the mycelium from foreign harmful microorganisms. They are able to get inside along with tools, equipment, on clothing, with casing layer, compost, and with ventilation. All items that are brought into the mycelium must first be disinfected. The air from the ventilation system should be filtered. It is especially important to do this during the period of growth and development of the mycelium. For this purpose, you can take like filters. If a large volume of air is driven through, then in this case it is better to use a water curtain, that is, to let the air pass through a curtain of water droplets, as through a waterfall.

There is such a thing as "the entrance gate of infection." The area near the entrance to the mycelium - this is the gate and fungal infectious diseases - must be clean. Place the compost heap as far from the entrance as possible. Also, when placing it, it is necessary to take into account such a factor as the wind. It is better to arrange the compost heap on the leeward side of the entrance. There should be no dense bushes or garbage dumps near the entrance to the mycelium, as they are natural sources of infection.

Industrial sources of air pollution, if available nearby, should also be considered.

Despite all these protective measures, many myceliums can be infected with parasites. In this case, the only measure to stop the spread of infection will be the complete isolation of these premises. They need to be disinfected, regardless of the harvest. For this, they are usually sprinkled with potash or table salt, chalk, poured with formalin, treated with methylene bromide, that is, it is permissible to use any potent substance that can destroy the source of infection. Thermal treatment is also carried out in contaminated premises ahead of schedule.

All technological methods for the preparation of the substrate and compost must be strictly observed. This is one of the main measures in the fight against disease. On well-prepared compost, mycelium develops very quickly and inhibits the development of other microorganisms. This property of compost is called selectivity. It means creating conditions for the growth of a certain organism. In a substrate, selectivity is determined quite easily - this is if its temperature and humidity correspond to the conditions necessary for the successful fruiting of mushrooms.

All work should begin where the mycelium is at an early stage of development, and move to those rooms in which the cultivation process ends with harvesting. It is there that parasitic and competing organisms accumulate, and the ability to resist them in fungi, on the contrary, decreases. The harvest should be collected and the premises cleaned in the specified order - from young mushrooms to old ones. The air must also be blown in the same direction - from young crops to old ones. Such details must be taken into account immediately even when designing a room. When moving from one zone to another, you need to wash your hands with soap and disinfect instruments. When harvesting, you should not pick up diseased mushrooms - they must be collected separately from healthy ones.

One more point should be noted. Mushrooms, even indoors, always feel the change of seasons. And the peak incidence always occurs in the summer. Therefore, it is necessary to cultivate mushrooms so that the beginning of their cultivation does not take place in the summer.

A few words about pesticides and other solutions. First, all pesticides for the prevention of fungal mycelium diseases should be used in mycelium only in low concentrations. They can also be included in the casing mixture or compost, or dissolved in water and poured over the beds with this solution. It is necessary to remember that pathogens develop resistance to the applied pesticides over time, so they must be periodically replaced with new ones. There are many different types of pesticides. In addition, science does not stand still, and new drugs appear every day. But their basis is almost always the same.

No drugs have yet been created against viruses, so only healthy planting material should be used. You also need to put a good filter on the supply ventilation and carry out high-quality thermal treatment, in which fungal spores would die, because it is through them that the bulk of the viruses are transmitted. \

There is one very effective remedy against bacteria: the beds should be watered with a 0.25% solution of bleach. But at the same time, a black zone should not form in the cover layer. It should be noted that almost all aqueous solutions with halogens are good against bacteria.

Malathion, diazinon, dichlorvos, endosulfan and other insecticides will help get rid of insects. Diazinon is a prophylactic agent, it is treated with empty myceliums inside and outside once a month between harvests. If pasteurization is carried out on racks in chambers, then diazinon treatment should be carried out before pasteurization, sowing, and finishing.

Dichlorvos in the chambers is treated every week. It is also used with a sharp increase in the number of insect pests. For example, with the mass development of springtails, the floor and walls in the chambers must be sprayed with a 0.03% solution of dichlorvos. Many experts alternate 2 insecticides at once. In this case, it is difficult for pests to adapt. Of course, during thermal processing and pasteurization of the substrate, it is necessary to destroy all insects - in every crevice and crack, to filter the air.

All sanitary measures are very important in the fight against fungal competitors and parasites. It is undesirable to fight with exclusively chemical means, since fungicides can damage the crop. The most effective systemic fungicide is benomyl. It can also be found under the names foundationol and benlate. These preparations contain the same active substance, but are produced by different companies. Fundazole is used in a higher concentration than the other 2 drugs, since it is slightly worse in quality.

It is administered at a dosage of 15 g / m2 before filling while moistening the casing mixture. If there is a real threat of an outbreak of white or dry rot, mold, then the dosage should be increased to 45 g / m. In case of a fungal disease, the mycelium should be treated with a drug at a dose of 1 g / m. You can also use mankozeb, zineb, maneb.

The fight against nematodes and ticks is more difficult to organize. They accumulate in the compost and feed on the mycelium of the cultivated fungus. Here, first of all, it is necessary to pasteurize the substrate well. Parachlorophenolate and pentachlorophenolate can be used against nematodes. All wooden parts and objects are impregnated with them. They can also be sprayed on the chamber a few days before composting. These drugs are powerful antiseptics. They are also easy to replace with other antiseptics, such as carbolic acid. Remember that not all chemicals decompose or volatilize. Many accumulate in the fruiting bodies of mushrooms. Therefore, chemical agents to combat diseases, parasites and pests must be used very carefully and in small quantities. Also, you should not use the same processing rates that are given in the books for gardeners and gardeners, although the same preparations are used.

If the mushrooms are practically ready for their collection, then chemical agents against pests and diseases cannot be used. Here you can apply herbal infusions. They are safe compared to chemical ones. Also, if you spray a mushroom with them, then you can immediately take it and eat it. Of course, herbal infusions have a rather mild effect and do not completely solve the problem the way chemicals do. But they are also capable of being effective. It should be noted that there is no exact data on the use of such infusions, so they should be used carefully, as they can cause changes in the taste, color and smell of mushrooms.

Garlic sprayer repels insects and fungal diseases. Its effect lasts up to 10 days. To prepare such an infusion, you need to chop 90 g of garlic using a garlic press, pour 10 ml of unflavored oil into the gruel. After two days, mix the oil mixture with a soapy solution. The latter is prepared as follows: 10 g of soap must be dissolved in 500 ml of water, mixed well and left for a day. Then strain the mixture and store in a tightly sealed container. The spray solution is prepared as follows: 1 part of the mixture is diluted in 100 parts of water. If the degree of infestation is high, then less water should be taken.

You can also make infusions with some herbs. For example, lavender and tansy repel flies. To prepare the infusion, pour boiling water over fresh or dry raw materials. It is not necessary to observe the proportions here - the strength of the infusion depends on the degree of infection of the mycelium.