Spatial Distribution of Green Mold Foci in 30 Commercial Mushroom Crops

Abstract

Statistical analyses were performed on spatial distributions of mushroom green mold foci caused by Trichoderma spp. in 30 standard Pennsylvania doubles (743 m2 production surface) selected at random from over 900 total crops mapped. Mapped production houses were divided into four tiers of six beds each with 16 sections per bed (total = 384 sections per double). Each section contained approximately 2 m2. Green mold foci were mapped according to presence or absence in each section as they became visible during the course of the mushroom production. There was a trend toward higher disease incidence at the ends of the doubles, although this was not consistent from level to level. Spatial analysis revealed that green mold foci were more likely to occur in neighboring sections along the beds rather than above, below, or across from each other. Cultural practices that were associated with movement along the beds, i.e., nutrient supplementation, spawning, bed tamping, surface covering, etc., were considered the most likely factors influencing the incidence of green mold in spawned compost. Airborne contamination was considered a less likely source of inocula contributing to epidemic development. Sanitation practices that reduce spore loads along the beds are expected to provide the greatest degree of green mold control.

Spatial distribution of Aphanomyces euteiches inoculum in a naturally infested pea field

“…Characterisation of the spatial distribution of the disease at field level is particularly valuable for the formulation and evaluation of control strategies. The development of effective sampling methods is essential (Mihail and Alcorn 1987), as this may make it possible to study the influence of environmental and cultural factors on population dynamics (Olanya and Lee Campbell 1988;Royse et al 1999), or to determine the relationship between IP, DS and yield losses (Hughes 1990).…”

Trichoderma Species Problematic to the Commercial Production of Pleurotus in Italy: Characterization, Identification, and Methods of Control

“…surfaced in the production of Agaricus bisporus in Northern Ireland, subsequently followed by severe infestations in mushroom farms in other locations of the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, the United States, and Canada. It has been estimated that the worldwide economic losses incurred by the champignon mushroom industry in the 10 years following the initial outbreak exceeded USD 30 million, with production losses oscillating between 30 and 100% [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. In Italy, a problem with Trichoderma infestations appeared in the production of another edible commercial mushroom, Pleurotus ostreatus (oyster mushroom).…”

Diversity and effects of competitive Trichoderma species in Ganoderma lucidum–cultivated soils

“…Six Trichoderma species, including T. harzianum , T. atroviride , T. viride , T. pleuroticola , T. longibrachiatum , and T. oblongisporum , have been associated with green mold disease in Shiitake ( Lentinula edodes ) in China ( Wang et al, 2016 ). The species T. pleuroticola and T. pleuroti have been associated with green mold diseases in champignon mushrooms in America ( Royse et al, 1999 ; Innocenti et al, 2019 ).…”