Mushroom Culture

Machinery and Equipments required (Contd..)

b) For composting and cropping unit:
14. Blowers: Blowers of different capacities are required in the pasteurization room and cropping rooms for supply of fresh air and steam.

Fig. 11.24 The blowers fitted near the pasteurization chambers for circulation of fresh air and steam

15. Air Handling Unit: Air Handling unit is required for supply of filtered fresh / hot / cool air inside the cropping as well as the pasteurization rooms .

Fig. 11.26 Air handling unit inside the cropping room

16. Spray Pumps: For maintaining humidity ( 80-90% ) inside the cropping rooms, the floors, walls and mushrooms beds are to be daily sprayed with clean water with the help of fine nozzle spray pump so as to get misty sprays.

Fig. Water being sprayed on the mushroom beds with a foot spray pump

17. Pile formers or Boards: It consists of three wooden planks or steel boards of desired size ( 4-5 feet height, 4-4.5 feet width and 5-6 feet length ) for making the compost pile. It is used every time the compost is turned so as to give support to the pile while stacking.

Fig. The set of a Pile former consisting of three steel boards

18. Long handled pitchfork: These are used for compost turning , handling and filling of compost

19. Shovel or belcha: Used for handling and filling of materials.

20. Hose with nozzle: It is for the watering and quick wetting of basic materials in bulk like straw, chicken manure, horse dung etc, when used on a large scale .

21. Small tractor with a front loader: This tractor will be helpful in turning, transferring and handling of heavy materials like compost, casing and other materials.

Fig A Front loader tractor

22. Turning machine: It is a machine fitted with rotators which helps in rapid and efficient turning of compost using negligible number of labourers .

Fig. Turning machines fitted with rotators for turning of composts and filling inside the tunnel.

23. Conveyer Belts: These are long and moving belt like structures which help in transferring compost or other materials mechanically from one place to other in a very speedy manner that saves labour and time.

24. Thermometers: These are required for measuring temperature of the compost heaps on the platform, compost beds in the spawn running, cropping rooms, pasteurization rooms so as to know temperature at every stage of composting and mushroom growing.

25. Hygrometer: For measuring humidity inside the cropping and spawn running rooms.

Fig. The Hygrometer for humidity measurement.

26. The pH meter: An instrument for measuring pH of the materials like compost, casing mixture, media etc.

Fig. The electronic pH meter