Influence of the harvesting method of mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus (Lange) Sing.) grown on a phase four substrate on their yield Part II. Yield quality

The main purpose of the described mushroom cultivation is obtaining high yield of good quality from phase four substrate in a short period of time in two separate batches. Choosing the right harvesting moment with regard to the physiological development of the fruiting body is complicated and it is determined by: the number of harvesting days of the batch, its frequency during a day, which is the basis for gaining good quality yield. Obtaining high quality mushrooms is considered to be more difficult than obtaining high yield. The current paper introduces a comparison of mushroom quality from accelerated harvesting and traditional one. All of the picked up mushrooms from the phase four substrate were of very good quality, regardless of time and method of harvesting. The share of the A class yield in the accelerated harvesting was over 70% in commercial yield, regardless of the market. The yield for the fresh market was higher in the first batch, while for processing in the second one. The difference was 4.6 and 3.4 kg/m2, respectively. Dry matter of the fruiting bodies from the accelerated harvesting was significantly, by 1%, higher than dry matter of the fruiting bodies from the traditional harvesting. The weight of a single fruiting body of A and B class was significantly lower in the accelerated harvesting, regardless of the market. The number of harvested fruiting bodies of class A and B for a 1 m2 of a growing area was higher in the accelerated harvesting for the fresh market and processing, in comparison with the traditional harvesting.\ud \ud &nbsp