Formulations for short-duration mushroom composts

Abstract

Two short-duration composting methods which have been developed at the Glasshouse Crops Research Institute, having 2 or 3 days for Phase I, respectively, were compared and combined with three different formulations in a series of seven experiments. The 2-day Phase I composts, having the highest soluble carbohydrate content in the initial formulation, gave the best yields of mushrooms. The principles of short-duration composting are discussed, especially in relation to initial nitrogen content and soluble carbohydrates in the raw materials.