MushroomLink Bulletin March 2025
In this edition:
FEATURE: Mushrooms in schools
PODCAST: Biopesticides with Aimee McKinnon
MARKETING: Update on the sampling program
SCHOLARSHIP: Mushroom Nuffield Scholarship
POSTCARD: Project summary in a postcard
CONTRIBUTE TO MUSHROOMLINK: Download our new contributor's flyer
Poster: MushroomLink project (MU21003)
This poster provides a visual overview of MushroomLink, the Australian mushroom industry's communication project. It highlights how research findings are transformed into practical resources for growers through newsletters, webinars, fact sheets, and more. To access the full poster and explore industry insights, download the full poster here.
Poster: The Mushroom supply chain best practice management (MU22011)
This poster provides a visual summary of key findings from a study on optimising the mushroom supply chain for quality and freshness. It highlights temperature management challenges and best practices to maintain mushroom quality from farm to retail. For a quick and easy overview, you can download the full poster here.
Poster: Food Safety Extension and adoption for food safety, quality and risk management (MU20000)
This poster provides a visual summary of key food safety initiatives in the Australian mushroom industry. It highlights efforts to support growers with best practices, training resources, and regular testing to ensure consumer confidence. For an easy overview, you can download the full poster here.
Australian Mushrooms Sampling Program Boosts Sales and Consumer Engagement
Hort Innovation Marketing Update March 2025
The Australian Mushrooms in-store sampling program is in full swing, delivering impressive results and encouraging more shoppers to regularly add mushrooms to their meals. Running across Woolworths, Coles, and independent retailers nationwide, the program aims to inspire new ways to cook with mushrooms and increase consumption
Building on the success of the 2023 program, which conducted over 1,300 sampling sessions and successfully converted 71 per cent of participants to purchase mushrooms, the 2024/25 program is already making a positive impact.
Sessions are being conducted in four major bursts, incorporating two summer and two winter recipes – these include:
· Thai Pork Mushroom Meatballs (Winter)
· Tapas Style Garlic Mushrooms (Summer)
· Lemon and Herb Mushroom Bruschetta (Summer)
· Mushroom Bolognese (Winter)
Burst one – April to August 2024
In burst one, 331 sampling sessions were conducted in Coles and Woolworths stores across NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, and WA, handing out an average of 88 Thai Pork and Mushroom Meatball samples per session. Engagement was strong, with 71 per cent of shoppers that interacted with sampling staff choosing to try a sample. Sales performance was equally as impressive, with 12kg of loose mushrooms and 20 pre-packed mushrooms sold on average per session.
Burst two – November 2024 to February 2025
The second burst of the sampling program saw over 17,500 Tapas-Style Garlic Mushroom samples distributed across Woolworths, Coles, and independent supermarkets nationwide. Sampling staff interacted with shoppers on average 125 times per session, with 70% converting to trying a sample. Sales results remained strong, with an average of 12.2kg of loose mushrooms and 25.8 pre-packed mushrooms sold per sampling session. In total, 201 sessions were completed during this burst, providing plenty of opportunities for shoppers to experience the delicious, rich flavour of Australian Mushrooms.
Upcoming sampling sessions
The third burst of the program is currently live, featuring Lemon and Herb Mushroom Bruschetta in 459 Woolworths, Coles, and Independent stores across NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, and WA until April. As the program progresses, the fourth burst will launch from April to June 2025, shifting to a Mushroom Bolognese recipe and targeting 330 Woolworths, Coles and Independent stores nationwide.
With each burst, the program continues to demonstrate the power of sampling in boosting mushroom sales and consumer engagement. Stay tuned for more updates on its success!
Stuart Whitehall and Umberto Calvo on drip irrigation & supplements
In this MushroomLink podcast, Stuart discusses the strategic use of drip irrigation with AHR’s own mushroom grower Umberto Calvo. Umberto has conducted trials with a similar system at the March Lawson Mushroom Research Unit. With the potential to improve later flushes and even create nutritionally enhanced mushrooms, our panel discuss the mixed challenges and solutions offered by drip irrigation for mushrooms.
Podcast hosted by Dr Jenny Ekman, AHR.
Stuart Whitehall from Nutrigain has been working with mushrooms almost his entire life. Growing up on a family farm, he earned his pocket money selling spent compost from the tender age of 9. Over several decades in the industry he has both witnessed and driven a host of innovations, from spawn production and trading to biological pest control with nematodes. Stuart has now diversified into nutritional supplements, including the delivery of liquid solutions through drip irrigation systems.
Umberto Calvo from AHR graduated in 2018 from the Università di Torino in Italy, and recently came to Australia to explore agricultural sciences in a completely different environment. With experience in Precision Viticulture in Spanish wine regions he is interested in precision and data-driven agriculture, remote sensing and horticulture crops. He is currently involved in a wide variety of projects from post-harvest avocado quality to mushroom growing techniques.
Complementing management with biological agents - Aimee McKinnon
Aimee is a research scientist for Agriculture Victoria in the Microbial Sciences, Pests, and Diseases (MSPD) group. With expertise in microbial-based biopesticides (biorationals) for use in integrated pest and disease management (IPDM), Aimee’s research focuses on understanding how microbial agents work to control insect pests and pathogens when applied to growing systems, with the broader aim to determine synergistic management practices, and to optimise the delivery of biological control agents. Since 2022, Aimee has been reviewing and evaluating prospective biopesticide agents and formulations for their efficacy to control key pests and diseases of commercial mushrooms in Australia, with a focus on mushroom flies and the pathogens that they may vector.
MushroomLink Bulletin February 2025
In this edition:
FEATURE: Transforming the food service industry with Australian mushrooms
MARKETING: Update on the the new Mmmmmm campaign
FACTSHEET: Managing air and moisture in compost
SCHOLARSHIP: Mushroom Nuffield Scholarship
POSTCARD: Project summary in a postcard
HORT STATS: The 2023/24 Australian Horticulture Statistics Handbook
Fact sheet: Air porosity and moisture in compost
Balancing air and moisture in compost is crucial for optimal mushroom growth. This fact sheet explores how air-filled porosity (AFP) and bulk density impact compost quality, mycelium development, and water availability. Learn about the key factors influencing AFP, the role of different straw types, and how compost structure affects yield throughout cropping.
MushroomLink Bulletin January 2025
In this edition:
NEW MAGAZINE: MushroomLink summer edition is now available to download
FEATURE: Spotlight on mushroom harvesting
MARKETING WEBINAR: Catch up on the latest webinar
EVENT: Dr Michael Wolfin workshops
SCHOLARSHIP: Mushroom Nuffield Scholarship
POSTCARD: Project summary in a postcard
MushroomLink Bulletin December
In this edition:
Food safety program now available
Feature article: Ethylene
Nielsen data deep dive
Mushroom farm hygiene mini-series - a recap
In 2024, mushroom pest and disease experts Judy Allan and Dr Warwick Gill delivered a virtual mini-series focused on farm hygiene across the entire Agaricus production process. This was part of the AMGA-led Hort Innovation project Mushroom International Study Tours – Inbound and Outbound (MU22010). Resources from the series, including session recordings, are available on AGORA.
MVX syndrome and Phase III compost
Mushroom Virus X (MVX) Syndrome is a destructive viral disease complex which was first reported on a farm in Britain in 1996 (Gaze et al 2000), although similar symptoms had been observed up to five years earlier (Burton et al 2011). MVX comprises a complex of up to 18 virus particles most of which are benign. However, two virus particles, AbV6 and AbV16, are associated with the critical symptoms of patch and cap browning respectively (Grogan 2023).
Michael Wolfin’s war on flies
Phorid and sciarid flies are not just unwelcome visitors on mushroom farms, they are persistent invaders whose impacts can be devastating.
Michael Wolfin is not your everyday entomologist. Driven by a passion for problem-solving since graduating, he found his way to Pennsylvania’s mushroom farms, where fly infestations pose ongoing and significant challenges.
Phorid fly larvae feed directly on the growing mushroom mycelium, whereas sciarids feed on organic matter within the compost itself. However, both can transmit disease and contaminate mushroom flushes, ruining up to 40% of the crop. This translates into substantial losses for growers.
Robots picking mushrooms: Tackling the robotic harvest challenge
“The more you get into the mushroom industry, the more you try to solve problems and introduce innovation, the more you realise just how complicated this industry is”, commented Sean O’Connor, at the start of his presentation on 4AG Robotics.
Sean has been involved with the company for four years, and CEO for a year and a half, so considers himself relatively new to mushrooms. Although the company has been working towards a robotic mushroom harvesting system since its inception, it has not been an easy journey. Rather, one marked by numerous challenges, disappointments and false starts.
A vision for the future of mushroom harvesting
Instead of fully replacing human labour with robotics, Swiss company MycoSense is pioneering tools that enhance efficiency for human harvesters.
Co-founded by engineer and entrepreneur Stéphane Doutriaux, MycoSense focuses on growth and harvest optimisation through advanced 3D scanning, specialised sensors, and data integration.
Their standout innovation is the Spotlight, a system that shows pickers which mushrooms are ready for harvest and which mushrooms need more time. This simplifies decision-making for workers and improves accuracy of grading.
Marketing update summer 2024/25
The FY24 Australian Mushrooms marketing campaign, running from January – June 2024, aimed to inspire Australians to consume more mushrooms daily. The initiative delivered positive results for the industry, increasing consumer engagement, and successfully attracting new customers.
The FY25 Mmmmmushrooms campaign is designed to highlight the exceptional qualities of mushrooms that make them a favourite among consumers. Built on insights that taste, followed by versatility and ease of use are primary drivers of mushroom purchases, the campaign celebrates their rich flavour that enhances any dish.
WHAT’S COMING UP? INTRODUCING THE AUSTRALIAN MUSHROOM SHAKER BAG AND HELLOFRESH PARTNERSHIP
Australian Mushrooms is bringing a fresh twist to home cooking with the launch of the innovative Australian Mushroom Shaker Bag. In partnership with renowned TV chef Ash Pollard, this campaign aims to create a viral cooking trend, inspiring home cooks to shake up their meals with flavoursome mushrooms. Featuring four mouthwatering recipes, the initiative showcases the versatility and irresistible taste of mushrooms in a fun, creative way.
