Aim: Study of common diseases, pest, nematodes and their management strategies during

mushroom cultivation

Principle: Like other crop production, the main objective of mushroom culture is to achieve
maximum yield with good quality. The success of reaching the goal is dependent on several
interacting factors, both biotic and abiotic. Abiotic factors like temperature, availability of
water, relative humidity, CO concentration in the air, excessive moisture level in the compost
& casing and the presence of toxic materials in the atmosphere. Compost or casing has
significant effect on crop yield and so proper care is to be taken to maintain the conducive
microclimatic condition for healthy mushroom growth. On the other hand, there are several
biotic factors, both pest and pathogen, badly affecting the growth of mushrooms causing a great
loss of yield and quality. The most common biotic factors of mushroom are insect pest, mites,
nematodes, parasitic fungi, antagonistic fungi, and pathogenic bacteria.

Fungal Disease

1. Dry Bubble Disease:

This is the most common and serious fungal disease of mushroom crops. If it is left
uncontrolled, disease can destroy the crops in 2-3 weeks.
Hosts: Button mushroom, Oyster mushroom.

Causal Organism: Verticillium fungicola

Symptoms:

1. Small undifferentiated masses of tissues are noted.

2. The caps are partially differentiated which ae tilted with distorted stipes and may appear
dry and spongy.
3. Brown, dry spots appear on caps and stems.

Fig: Verticillium fungicola Fig: Infected mushroom

Management / Control measures:

1. Controlling high temperature during cropping and proper ventilation is advisable for
the control of the disease,

2. Spraying with 0.2 per cent dithane Z-78 three times, at the time of casing, pin head
formation and after two flushes of the crop, is effective.

2. Wet Bubble or Mycogone Disease: This disease primarily affects the fruiting bodies (the
mushrooms) and causes them to deform and turn soft, watery, and slimy.

Host: Button Mushroom

Causal organism: Mycogone perniciosa.

Symptoms: Large irregular masses of tissue. Malformed mushrooms with swollen stipes,
deformed caps, slimy texture. Brown discolouration.

Control Measures / Management:

1. The diseased mushroom should be sterilised on the beds with 2 per cent formalin and
should be promptly removed.

2. The infected area may also be sprayed with 0.2 per cent dithane Z-78, and benlate 0.05
per cent

Fig: Mycogone perniciosia Fig: Infected mushroom

3. Cobweb Disease

Causal organisms: Cladobotryum dendroide, C. varium, C. multiseptatum, C. mycophilum,

and C. verticillatum.

Symptoms:

1. Circular patches of white cottony mycelium

2. Yellowing, pink-tinged discoloration, or brown spotting

3. Powdery, granular surface

• Fruit body turns dark brown and becomes rancid

Management /Control Measure:

1. Proper hygiene by cleaning regularly and removal of already infected mushrooms.

2. Lowering humidity and boosting air circulation are two control techniques.

3. Disinfecting the mushroom house and its surrounding with 2% formalin every year.

4. Cobweb infected areas should be covered with salt

5. Sterilizing the substrate with methyl 40mg/ litre + formalin @500 mg/ litre

6. Application of chlorothalonil and benzimidazole

Fig: Cladobotryum sp. Fig: Infected mushroom

4. Green Mold Disease: (common inAgaricus bisporus, Oyster mushroom)

Causal organism: Trichoderma viride.

Symptoms:

1. It appears as green patches on the spawned and cased trays.

2. If it appears on the casing soil it checks the pin formation of the mushroom.

3. This fungus grows on decomposed organic matter and dead mushroom tissues.

Management / Control Measure: Spraying with 0.05% benlate solution.

Fig: Infected mycelium & casing soil Fig: Trichoderma viride

Olive Green Mold Disease:

Causal organism: Chaetomium olivaceum

Symptoms:

1. Initially it is white but afterwards it changes to an olive green colour.

2. The compost in the affected areas turns black and smells musty and damp.
3. Olive green pustules that appear on the green mold.

Control Measures:

1. Sufficient air should be introduced without increasing the temperature above 60°C
during pasteurization.

2. Spraying of trays with 0.2 per cent thiram and captan or 0.05 per cent benlate can check
the spread.
 Fig: Chaetomium sp. Fig: Infected substrate

Bacterial Disease:
Bacterial Blotch Disease: is a disease that affects mushrooms, causing discoloration and
lesions on the cap and stem. Common in button mushroom.
Causal organism: Pseudomonas tolaasii
Symptoms:

1. Causes brown, slightly sunken blotches on the mushroom cap.

2. These spots are irregular, yellowish to dark brown and coalesce in the later stage.

Control:

1. Proper sterilization of casing soil, and ventilation should be quite adequate.

2. Use of chlorinated water also reduces disease incidence.

3. Before the pin formation, spraying Terramycin on the beds is advisable.

Fig: Infected mushroom

Viral Disease:
Dieback disease: Caused by some species of virus.
Symptoms:

1. It causes spots in the casing soil where no mycelial growth occurs.

2. Around these spots, mushrooms of low quality appear with long stems and dirty caps.
Sometimes the only indication of a virus infection is low yield.

3. In severe cases, a few deformed mushrooms are produced.

4. Mushrooms affected by the virus open fast, releasing infected spores.

Management/ Control measures:

1. Observe sanitation and hygiene during growing cycle.

2. Cover the beds after spawning with a paper, which must be sprinkled with 2%
formalin solution every 3-4 days to kill all settling spores

3. Harvest mushrooms in proper time, not allowing them to open

4. Clean and disinfect growing rooms after growth cycle.

Insects / Pests

Mushrooms are also attacked by pests like spring tails, phorids flies, sciarid flies, mites and
nematodes causing damage to the crop from spawning to harvesting.

1. Sciarids: black in colour and have slender bodies with long antennae. Larvae are more
harmful. E.g. Sciara carpophila, S. agaria, Lycorella fenestralis, etc.

Fig: Sciarid fly Fig: Larva of sciarid fly

Damage:

1. Larvae destroy pins of developing mushrooms

2. Larvae tunnel into the stems and caps of maturing mushrooms

3. Larvae can introduce decay-causing organisms
 4. Larvae can severe developing mycelium, causing mushrooms to become brown
and leather

2. Phorids: have short antennae and wing venation. Larvae are more harmful. They lack
distinct black heads.

Damage: Larvae cause much disease to the mycelium but sometimes they create tunnels into
the mushroom.

Fig: Phorid fly Fig: Larva of phorid fly

Management / Control measures:

1. Clean the growing area and equipment

2. Sterilize empty trays

3. Disinfect the mushroom house with 0.1% dicofol or 2% formalin

4. Install light traps and poison bating

5. Use fly netting to cover doors during ventilation

6. Place a step mat with a sanitizer at the entrance

7. Maintain the proper temperature and relative humidity

8. Spray insecticides

3.Nematodes are tiny roundworms that can infest mushroom beds and damage the
roots of mushroom crops. They can be parasitic or saprophytic.

Nematode infestations in mushrooms can lead to the following damage:

1. Stunted Growth
2. Reduced Yields
 3. Poor Quality

4. Yellowing Mycelium

5. Distorted Mushroom Caps

6. like Malathion or Dichlorovos

Fig: Nematode

Management / Control measures:

1. Use of heat has been the most successful method of nematode control in mushroom
cultivation.

2. Dipping the appliances, i.e., trays and handling tools in boiling water for 1-2 min is
sufficient.

3. Predatory nematodes, mites, fungi and bacteria are the possible microorganisms
which can be used in checking the nematode menace in mushroom.