Foaming
This month, our resident Doctor Agaricus was asked about foaming, a disease spotted in Europe.
Foaming is as an abiotic disorder that mainly affects the Heirloom variety marketet by Amcel. We asked Tim Harker from Amycel UK and Ireland to help explain what it is, and if it could be a problem in Australia.
This month, our resident Doctor Agaricus was asked about foaming, a disease spotted in Europe.
Foaming is as an abiotic disorder that mainly affects the Heirloom variety marketet by Amcel. We asked Tim Harker from Amycel UK and Ireland to help explain what it is, and if it could be a problem in Australia.
Exclusion is a Vital Component of a Mushroom Farm’s IPDM
When we think of exclusion principles on a mushroom farm, we immediately think of grow room doors and seals. And for good reason, as grow room doors and seals are the major physical barrier used to keep flies and dust away from the mushroom crops. But doors and seals are not the only exclusion principles that are applied on mushroom farms. In this article we will look at further methods of exclusion appropriate for mushroom farms, how to apply them and why they are applied.
When we think of exclusion principles on a mushroom farm, we immediately think of grow room doors and seals. And for good reason, as grow room doors and seals are the major physical barrier used to keep flies and dust away from the mushroom crops. But doors and seals are not the only exclusion principles that are applied on mushroom farms. In this article we will look at further methods of exclusion appropriate for mushroom farms, how to apply them and why they are applied.
Optimise your Sanitiser and Disinfectant
With mounting consumer opposition to pesticide residues in food products and the increasing awareness of their environmental impact, industry access to traditional disease control chemicals is declining world-wide. Achieving effective on-farm disease management is therefore becoming increasingly reliant on whole-farm preventative hygiene
With mounting consumer opposition to pesticide residues in food products and the increasing awareness of their environmental impact, industry access to traditional disease control chemicals is declining world-wide. Achieving effective on-farm disease management is therefore becoming increasingly reliant on whole-farm preventative hygiene.
Key Steps in an Effective Mushroom Farm IPDM Program
Integrated Pest and Disease Management (IPDM) is a comprehensive, multifaceted, and systematic approach to managing pests and diseases. Rather than treat diseases when they express on-farm with synthetic chemical pesticides, or apply synthetic pesticides routinely to prevent diseases occurring, an effective IPDM program eliminates the root cause of pest and pathogen infestations. IPDM can suppress or remove pest and pathogen populations in a stepwise, sustainable, safe, cost-effective and environmentally sound manner.
Integrated Pest and Disease Management (IPDM) is a comprehensive, multifaceted, and systematic approach to managing pests and diseases. Rather than treat diseases when they express on-farm with synthetic chemical pesticides, or apply synthetic pesticides routinely to prevent diseases occurring, an effective IPDM program eliminates the root cause of pest and pathogen infestations. IPDM can suppress or remove pest and pathogen populations in a stepwise, sustainable, safe, cost-effective and environmentally sound manner.
Bacteria vs Fungus; Using Bacillus to control Wet Bubble Disease
Wet bubble is a widely distributed disease caused by the fungal parasite Hypomyces perniciosus (formerly Mycogone perniciosus). Recently it has been found that related pathogens, including M. rosea and M. xinjiangensis, can also cause symptoms.
Wet bubble is a widely distributed disease caused by the fungal parasite Hypomyces perniciosus (formerly Mycogone perniciosus). Recently it has been found that related pathogens, including M. rosea and M. xinjiangensis, can also cause symptoms.
Sustainable Pest and Disease Management
A new Hort Innovation project, led by Dr Aimee McKinnon from Agriculture Victoria, investigates effective alternatives to complement current pest and disease management strategies for the mushroom industry. Mushroom parasites and bacterial diseases cause heavy losses in commercial mushroom farms worldwide, and the risk of such outbreaks in Australia has been identified as a major threat to the industry.
A new Hort Innovation project, led by Dr Aimee McKinnon from Agriculture Victoria, investigates
effective alternatives to complement current pest and disease management strategies for the mushroom industry. Mushroom parasites and bacterial diseases cause heavy losses in commercial mushroom farms worldwide, and the risk of such outbreaks in Australia has been identified as a major threat to the industry.
Storing chemicals safely
A chemical shed may not be the most glamorous, action packed or exciting place on farm, but it can certainly give a strong impression as to how the business is run. A well-kept, clean, and orderly chemical shed suggests a clean and orderly business. An auditor encountering a dirty, disorganised shed may well expect other aspects of the food safety system to be likewise.
Phone a friend for on farm help
When you have a pest or disease problem on-farm that you are unsure of, or when you need to confirm the right way forward, what do you do? For Neil Newman of Country Farm Fresh Mushrooms, the answer is as close as the computer and the phone.
When you have a pest or disease problem on-farm that you are unsure of, or when you need to confirm the right way forward, what do you do? For Neil Newman of Country Farm Fresh Mushrooms, the answer is as close as the computer and the phone.
Pest and Disease Management and Research Services
Over the last five years, Warwick Gill from the University of Tasmania and Judy Allan have led the levy funded
project MU 16003 Pest and disease management and research services, creating an exhaustive and detailed body of knowledge for the Australian mushroom industry.
Over the last five years, Warwick Gill from the University of Tasmania and Judy Allan have led the levy funded project MU 16003 Pest and disease management and research services, creating an exhaustive and detailed body of knowledge for the Australian mushroom industry.
A new diagnostic tool gives growers the upper hand in controlling disease
A mushroom industry-funded project has delivered a commercially available early disease detection service which has revolutionised the way growers manage disease.
A mushroom industry-funded project has delivered a commercially available early disease detection service which has revolutionised the way growers manage disease.
Click here to find out more in the full article from MushroomLink
AHR employee Samali Perera runs mushroom samples through the PCR machine
A new diagnostic tool gives growers the upper hand in controlling disease
A mushroom industry-funded project has delivered a commercially available early disease detection service which has revolutionised the way growers manage disease.
Growers can now identify disease early, whether in compost, grow room, or the crop itself, facilitating timely action to manage diseases and minimise losses.
Samples being prepared for PCR testing
For example, the system can identify Trichoderma aggressivum, a species of green mould that is highly damaging to yield but nearly impossible to distinguish visually from other less serious green moulds.
Interestingly, the PCR test used to detect Trichoderma uses the same technology as the gold standard PCR test for detecting COVID-19.
The PCR test can also identify Dry Bubble (Lecanicillium fungicola), Cobweb (Cladobotryum sp.) and Bacterial Blotch. All four diseases are included in the same testing ‘panel’, meaning that a single test can detect any of the diseases above in any one sample provided.
The results from a single sample give a positive or negative for a range of species (see Table 1), as well as an indication of how much disease is present.
Quick turnaround of test results, early detection before symptoms are evident, and cost-effectiveness are all major benefits of the new testing service.
The PCR-based testing service was developed by a Hort Innovation project (MU12007) and is now fully operational.
The development team was led by Associate Professor Michael Kertesz from the University of Sydney. Partners included AusDiagnostics, who provided the PCR delivery platform, and disease experts Judy Allan and Dr Warwick Gill. Trials were carried out by the Marsh Lawson Mushroom Research Unit (MLMRU).
The project was managed by Applied Horticultural Research (AHR) who are now also providing the testing service commercially from their Sydney laboratory.
Trichoderma (left) and dry bubble (right) are just two of the diseases that can be tested for using the PCR testing service
The diseases which can be detected using the PCR testing service developed by Hort Innovation project MU12007 are:
Cobweb - Cladobotryum mycophilum (Hypomyces odoratus)
Lecanicillium spp.
Dry bubble - Lecanicillium fungicola (Verticillium fungicola)
Trichoderma spp.
Green mould - Trichoderma aggressivum
Bacterial blotch - Pseudomonas tolaasii and Pseudomonas gingeri
Testing and control measures on farm are effective at controlling disease
The mushroom disease testing service has already proved popular, with over 5,000 samples processed since August 2020.
As well as identifying disease, testing after cookout can provide vital information on whether control measures taken at the farm have been effective.
AHR has seen some encouraging trends in the testing results, showing that PCR testing for disease, coupled with corrective action, is effective at controlling disease.
AHR principal, Dr Gordon Rogers says “Farms using this service see a steady decline in positives for diseases they are targeting.”
“This means the control measures on farms are working, and testing is confirming their effectiveness.”
AHR employee Samali Perera runs mushroom samples through the PCR machine
How to get your samples tested
PCR testing, developed during the Hort Innovation project, is now being offered as a commercial service by AHR, using a methodology commercialised by AusDiagnostics.
The PCR technique is highly sensitive at detecting diseases. A sample containing even the smallest amount of the disease can usually be detected before any symptoms are evident in the crop.
Very importantly, the way the sample is collected is critical.
A video produced by Judy Allan and Warwick Gill demonstrates how to collect samples for disease testing from growing rooms, equipment, work areas, mushroom caps and compost. Click here to view the video or visit the AGORA website for both the video and appropriate control measures.
To test for the presence of Trichoderma, Cobweb, Dry Bubble or Blotch disease, send your samples by express post to the AHR diagnostic laboratory in Sydney to:
Applied Horticultural Research
PO Box 917 Alexandria NSW 1435
For more information on how to collect and send samples to the laboratory, visit the AHR website https://ahr.com.au/mushroom-disease-diagnosis-service
This project has been funded by Hort Innovation, using the mushroom research and development levy and contributions from the Australian Government. Hort Innovation is the grower-owned, not-for-profit research and development corporation for Australian horticulture.
MU21002 - Desktop review of pathway risks for the mushroom industry - Agaricus mushrooms and growth substrate imports
Key research provider: Applied Horticultural Research
This investment is identifying exotic mushroom pests and diseases and investigating the potential ways that they could enter Australia. Managing pests and diseases is a key priority for the Australian mushroom industry, as the entry of new pests and diseases could pose a serious threat.
The project team will investigate all possible routes for these pests and diseases to enter Australia, such as through imported Agaricus or exotic mushroom varieties, or other means including substrates (e.g. logs) or inoculum.
The research team will collaborate with the project Development of a biosecurity plan for Australian mushrooms (MU18006) as well as other industry risk-related projects and key industry organisations.
The research team will collaborate with the project Development of a biosecurity plan for Australian mushrooms (MU18006) and other industry risk-related projects and key industry organisations.
Its an ill wind that blows - the impact of dust on disease management
Dust is not just the soil that gets blown around the farm from beyond the boundary fence; the exact composition of the dust is a reflection of past disease outbreaks on the farm and is an important but often overlooked aspect of disease management. This article examines dust, where it comes from, how it can affect your operation and ways of minimising its impact.
This article was originally produced for the Australian Mushrooms Journal 2021 Issue 4
Peak fly season is nearly upon us - are you ready?
With the arrival of spring and, as the sap rises, thoughts turn to what the upcoming summer and autumn will bring.
Unfortunately, hot on the heels of Santa and his elves will come the peak fly season. Summer is also the time that farms experience disruptions to routines and rostering as many farm staff take holiday leave.
During this time, it is often difficult to allocate sufficient resources to perform mundane but crucial tasks such as pest and disease monitoring and spot treatments.
This article was originally produced for the Australian Mushrooms journal 2020 Issue 3
Detergent & farm sanitation
Starting a new crop in a room free of pests and pathogens is the most potent and cost-eff effective tool for disease management on the mushroom farm, but it doesn’t come easily. Grow room sanitation has two distinct stages – cleaning and disinfection.
Too often, we expect our disinfectants to do the heavy lifting and presume they will eradicate the majority of the pathogens. After all, their job is to kill pathogens. But the truth is, it is the cleaning process before disinfection that removes the majority of the microbes and pathogens from a heavily soiled environment and not the disinfectant.
This article was originally produced for the Australian Mushroom Journal issue 2 2021
Getting the best from your cookout
As mushroom crops mature, pest and pathogen levels increase so that by the end of the crop, the pathogen population reaches its maximum (Fletcher & Gaze 2008). Effective crop termination is essential to reduce the pathogen population, allowing the next crop to ‘start clean’ and to break the cycle of diseases, such as Dry Bubble, which are perpetuated by continual on-farm re-infection.
By far the most effective termination procedure is cookout in situ, where the crop is treated undisturbed in the grow room with steam. An effective cookout prevents contamination of subsequent and adjacent crops which occurs when spent substrate contaminated with viable pathogens, pests and their larvae is removed from a grow room (Beyer 2018).
Cookout must kill pests and pathogens within the compost and netting on shelf farms and within the compost and tray timbers on tray farms. Cookout must also kill Agaricus mycelium and spores within the compost and tray timbers to prevent spread of virus diseases.
Action points to control Sciarid & Phorid flies
Flies are effective vectors of disease because the sticky disease spores attach themselves to the flies legs and the flies transport them from crop to crop.
Sciarid and phorid flies can breed in bushland, ‘waste’ or ‘spent’ compost in the farm environment and, most efficiently of all, in growing rooms.
The odour associated with the Phase 3 compost arriving on a farm either in bulk or blocks acts like a strong magnet to attract flies to the new crop.
The fact that a female sciarid can produce around 100 offspring and a female phorid can produce around 50 offspring means that new crops need to be strongly protected from invasion by adults and a holistic and integrated approach to fly control is needed.