Alternative Way of Reproducing Mushroom Spawns Developed
A contractual worker of the local government of Tarlac has developed an alternative way of reproducing mushroom spawns and other innovations in mushroom culture.
That’s Pablito Saiiniento of Dau, Mabalacat, Pampanga. He found that ipil-ipil or kakawate twigs can be used as a substrate in multiplying fungus mycelia or mushroom spawns. When made into wood chips, the twigs, said Sarmiento, are good alternative to potato-dextroseagar (PDA), which is the primary substrate in reproducing the fungus.
This 44-year-old worker who trained from the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology of UP Los Banos learned this as he observed that fungus growth in decaying twigs of trees is more luxuriant and robust. Then he conducted experiments at home and determined the ideal sizes of wood chips to be used.
This technique is simple as preparation of PDA, claims Sarmiento, is long and tedious, hence it is prone to contamination. Moreover, mycelium is reportedly more viable with this method.
