MU16004 - Marsh Lawson Mushroom Research Centre (MLMRC)
AHR Employees Sandra Evangelista and Tyler Kristensen working in the Marsh Lawson Mushroom Research Unit
Key research provider: The University of Sydney and Applied Horticultural Research (AHR)
This project supports the running and development of the Marsh Lawson Mushroom Research Centre (MLMRC) at the University of Sydney. The MLMRC is a world-class facility dedicated to mushrooms, and the research that takes place there will help the mushroom industry drive innovation, adopt best practice and tackle issues, while encouraging new expertise in the industry.
During the project, the facility will grow in size and capability, with the addition of new growing rooms and a purpose-built compost research facility.
What was it all about?
From 2017 to 2022, this investment supported the running and development of the Marsh Lawson Mushroom Research Centre (MLMRC) at the University of Sydney. The MLMRC is a world-class facility dedicated to mushrooms and the research that takes place there will help the mushroom industry drive innovation, adopt best practice and tackle issues, while encouraging new expertise in the industry.
This project was delivered jointly by The University of Sydney, who provided and maintained the research facilities and took charge of employing growers, and Applied Horticultural Research (AHR), who provided the management services outlined in the proposal.
The Marsh Lawson Mushroom Research Centre was directed by an industry-focused independent Steering Committee that prioritised research directions and led planning discussions towards transitioning to a new research facility. This Steering Committee has now developed into an important source of technical expertise that provides an industry overview into mushroom research funded by Hort Innovation and the industry levy.
Key impacts for the project include input into shaping the research direction for the mushroom industry, maintenance and improvement of the purpose build mushroom research facility at the University of Sydney, and progress on transition to new growing and composting research facilities.
The project, either directly or through the research facility has contributed the following outcomes for the Australian mushroom industry:
Commercially available PCR-based disease testing of compost and growing facilities
Assessments of recycled organics as a substitute up to 25 per cent of the peat used casing soil
Data to support a label extension of the fungicide metrafenone to control mushroom disease
Improved understanding of the microbial processes in mushroom compost production which may lead to more productive or functionally improved compost
Evaluation of products that can improve the whiteness and freshness of mushrooms.
ACT NOW
The MLMRC project delivered a total of 11 webinars aimed at producers, communicating research outcomes involving Australian and international researchers.
Watch the webinars below:
MU17002 - Educating health professionals about Australian mushrooms
Key delivery partner: Nutrition Research Australia
This education program is all about delivering research and information on the nutritional benefits of mushrooms to Australian health professionals including dietitians, nutritionists, GPs and more. The project team is bringing together the latest science on the health benefits of mushrooms, and using this for the development and dissemination of evidence-based messages and tools. The ultimate goal is to equip and empower these health professionals to in turn motivate their patients and clients to include mushrooms in their diets.
Apart from reviewing and consolidating research, specific project activities will include a revamp of the health and science section of the www.australianmushrooms.com.au website, presentations at relevant professional conferences, the distribution of materials such as brochures and e-newsletters, and other engagement activities for health professionals such as webinars and an expert roundtable event.
Project Outputs
Final Report
MU17004 - Optimising nitrogen transformations in mushroom production
Key Delivery partner: The university of sydney
This project will ultimately help mushroom growers to optimise the rate and timing of nitrogen additions, to achieve maximum yield and nutritional value.
The project team are currently exploring the fate of nitrogen used in mushroom production and composting, including developing a better understanding the microorganisms that are involved in transforming the nitrogen that is added throughout the mushroom production process into other forms. They are also looking at ways and timings to maximise nitrogen use efficiency and promote nitrogen retention for composting, and more. A best practice guide for growers will be produced out of the project findings.
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This project explores the fate of nitrogen in mushroom compost and mushroom production, allowing growers to optimize the rate and timing of nitrogen additions to achieve maximum yield and crop nutritional value. Work in the current project period has focused on the timing of supplements added to compost during cropping, and on the efficacy of microbial inocula added during spawn run in promoting mycelial growth.
Supplementing crops with nitrogen immediately before each flush provided an increased yield of about 7 per cent, with much of this increase occurring in second flush. The nitrogen content of mushroom caps and stipes was found to be significantly enhanced in mushrooms from second and third flush, which contained 7-8 per cent N (dry wt) compared with 4-5 per cent N (dry wt) in first flush mushrooms. Similar results were found on a commercial farm, suggesting that late-flush mushrooms may be described as “high nitrogen” versions of the crop.
Test of mycelial growth promotion with combinations of abundant compost bacteria including Pseudoxanthomonas, Bacillus and Chelatococcus revealed that stimulation of mushroom growth was dependent on co-inoculation with the dominant fungus Mycothermus (formerly Scytalidium). Work is continuing to establish the effect of these treatments on crop yield.
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Since the last project update, work has focused on completing an overall nitrogen balance for mushroom composting and cropping, reviewing alternative nitrogen sources for Australian composters, and designing and testing microbial consortia for compost inoculation.
Detailed measurements taken during Phase 2 of composting showed nitrous oxide production much lower than expected, and ammonia released by the compost largely reabsorbed. Major loss of nitrogen during composting therefore occurs primarily during Phase 1, partly as leachate and partly as ammonia release.
Calculating an industry average for these losses is difficult because of variation in the proportion of recycled leachate used by different composters for straw wetting. Further limitations to nitrogen balance calculations were identified in the overall mass losses experienced by all composters.
Possible alternative nitrogen sources for the Australian mushroom industry were reviewed, focused on agricultural by-products already tested overseas. The need for an up-to-date inventory of the types, quantities, and localities of agricultural and food production by-products was highlighted. Local availability is particularly important in establishing test experiments for these feedstocks.
Ten bacterial taxa were identified as potential consortium for compost inoculation. The dominant genera are Pseudoxanthomonas, Chelatococcus, Chelatovorans, Thermus and Thermobacillus. These will be combined with Mycothermus, the dominant fungus in Phase 2 compost, for stability and functionality testing.
While some impact due to COVID-19 restrictions disrupted research progress, the team continues to work to mitigate any delays.
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Since the last project update, a survey of 10 Australian mushroom composting facilities across four States has been completed. It included a comparison of composting management processes and compost bacterial activity. The results delivered initial insights to inform the selection of compost yards for further nitrogen management analysis.
The survey revealed that an average of 10 per cent of input nitrogen is incorporated into the mushroom crop, and about 20 per cent of the total is lost as leachate or nitrogen-containing gases. Nitrogen losses also occur from the compost and casing during cropping. To better understand this process, two cropping trials have been established in the Marsh-Lawson Mushroom Unit. Analysis has unfortunately been delayed due to Covid-19 impacts.
The team have isolated specific microorganisms from high temperature composts, with the dominant strains identified by DNA sequencing and characterised. Interactions between the two main compost fungi (Mycothermus thermophilus and Agaricus bisporus) and the dominant Phase 2 bacterial taxa (Pseudoxanthomonas spp) have been examined in more detail. Due to the high relevance of these bacterial taxa, their entire genetic sequence has been determined, with analysis of their functional capabilities ongoing.
The compost isolate collection contains 175 isolates of 58 different species. This is now sufficient for the design of potential compost inoculation treatments aimed at optimising the composting process.
The reporting period coincided with Covid-19 related work and travel restrictions, resulting in considerable disruption to research progress. The team will continue to share results with industry as opportunities become available.
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The project team commenced work in January 2019 and have already isolated and characterised a substantial collection of bacterial strains taken from a range of Australian compost yards in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. These samples represent the dominant cultivable bacteria in composts and will underpin the rest of the project.
Many of the most prevalent strains identified were very similar, despite coming from different geographical areas, confirming the conserved biological nature of mushroom composting across Australia.
Analysis of the composts revealed that many of the dominant species have not yet been captured in the strain collection. These are now being targeted using specifically designed growth media and selective conditions.
A detailed survey regarding current nitrogen management by Australian composters was started, with field trips to facilities in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia, and visits planned to Queensland. The results of this confidential survey will be used to identify composting yards that represent the diversity of processes in the Australian industry, informing the project’s detailed nitrogen balance studies.
ACT NOW
Read an overview of the project in this article, Optimisation of nitrogen use in mushroom production, published on pages 34-35 in the spring 2019 edition of the Australian Mushrooms Journal.
Project outputs:
Australian Mushrooms Journal, Spring 2019 edition page 30
MU17006 - Developing a database of bio-markers for compost quality control to maximise mushroom production yield
Key delivery partner: The University of Sydney
The quality and yield of button mushroom crops are critically dependent on the quality of compost used. Beginning in June 2019, this investment is exploring how microbial populations within compost can be used to understand, measure and manipulate compost quality.
The project team’s work involves investigating microbial populations across a range of mushroom composting facilities. This includes looking at the microbial population dynamics at different points along the composting timeline, how they align with other compost quality indicators and correlating everything back to mushroom crop yield and quality.
The research will culminate in a database of compost ‘bio-markers’ (microbe indicators) for the industry, which will be able to be used to assist in maximising productivity and crop outcomes.
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Progress in this project was severely impacted by the COVID-19 lockdown in the second half of 2021, and work in this period was therefore limited to software development and training.
Sample collection at participating compost yards for the feasibility study recommenced in December 2021, and was completed by April 2022.
These samples represent a time-course from three successive crops at four independent mushroom composting facilities across New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. Analysis of chemical compost quality markers in these samples (pH, moisture, total C and N, soluble C and N, microbial biomass, humification index, nitrification index) is nearly complete, and the microbial community analysis of these samples has been completed.
The results indicate good reproducibility between compost crops at Phase II but considerable variability between individual crops at earlier stages of the composting process, and this will be used to inform the design of the full scale compost biomarkers study.
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Since project commencement, progress has been severely impacted by COVID-19 travel restrictions, leading to a temporary pause in research activites.
Restarting in January 2021, the team focused on developing effective and reproducible compost sampling strategies.
The initial phase worked to assess changes in microbial diversity and other compost quality parameters in three successive compost crops from yards in three different States. With sampling almost complete, the analytical methods required for analysis have been optimised.
The results from this study are now being used to prepare methods for a much larger one-year study.
Project outputs
Australian Mushrooms Journal, spring 2019 edition page 32
Mushroom Virus X Syndrome - Patch Disease and Brown Cap Mushroom Disease
Mushroom Virus X syndrome (MVX) describes a range of symptoms including delayed opening, reduced yields, distorted mushrooms and cap browning which express on cultivated Agaricus bisporus crops. MVX syndrome is now known to be a combination of two separate virus diseases – Patch Disease and Brown Cap Mushroom Disease – which can occur together and express a variable and complex symptomology. In some cases, one or two symptoms may predominate.
MVX syndrome first emerged in Britain in 1990 when mushroom crops began expressing symptoms resembling a virus infection. But established techniques used previously to detect the La France virus were unable to detect a virus responsible for the novel infection, leading researchers to investigate other causes.
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
Mushroom Production Waste Streams - Novel Approaches to Management and Value Creation
Dr Scott Needham, TGD Managing Director, acted as the project lead for the mushroom waste streams project and has over 25 years’ experience in performing and managing R&D and commercialising early stage scientific discoveries. During the past decade, Scott was Global Head of Investment Strategy for the US-based Intellectual Ventures’ Invention Development Fund (IDF), where he was responsible for a USD200m investment in early stage innovations.
Previously Head of Xinova Australia, a US-based innovation platform company that managed over 12,000 innovators, Scott believes in the power of utilising the best talent from around the world on projects. Scott has worked extensively for some of the worlds best known corporate clients including Fujitsu, Pepsico, AMEX, DuPont, Facebook and Mars Wrigley.
Kyle Kessler, TGD Manager, was the project manager for the mushroom waste streams project. His work blends quantitative and qualitative approaches to design technologies and businesses, and strategies that are desirable and financially viable to clients and their stakeholders.
Kyle has worked on innovation, stakeholder engagement, and agtech commercialisation projects across sectors and regions - including Hort Innovation, Meat and Livestock Australia, Dairy Australia, CSIRO, United States Department of Defence and private sector clients in the fast moving consumer goods and mining sectors.
Details:
Teaming up with Hort Innovation and Australian mushroom growers, Scott and Kyle explored commercially viable approaches to utilising spent mushroom compost or edible mushroom waste either to reduce costs or increase revenue for mushroom growers in Australia.
Using trials, new business models, open-innovation and design thinking, they developed and tested new strategies for reducing waste, increasing revenue, and cutting costs for growers.
During this presentation, Scott and Kyle will summarise how, working hand-in-hand with mushroom growers, they unearthed new opportunities to increase the value of mushroom waste, including:
Eight potential solutions that were assessed against the business needs of mushrooms growers
Four recommended solutions for further investigation
How they collaborated to develop business models to better understand costs and revenue opportunities for potential solutions
Research into current and emerging technologies from around the world.
Managing COVID-19 related risks in mushroom businesses
We are all fed up with Covid-19 dominating our lives - the serious impacts of a deadly disease and the extreme difficulties of producing and selling a rapidly growing and fragile crop when the rules change daily, state borders can snap shut any time and a single positive case in the workplace can potentially cost a business thousands of dollars.
With vaccines, we can now see some light at the end of our 19-month-long tunnel. But, how can businesses manage this new landscape? What ‘carrots’ are most effective and what ‘sticks’ can legally be used?
Join us to learn how businesses can navigate this rapidly changing and challenging environment, minimising risk to both employee health and economic viability.
Rhys Ryan: Rhys is Managing Director of Porter Novelli Australia, and leads the firm’s work in helping clients build corporate reputation.
Following an early stint as a broadcast journalist, Rhys moved into strategic communications and has developed expertise in financial services, agribusiness, retail and primary production.
He has spent significant time in the United States over the past 20 years, where he led multi-country reputation programs for global corporations and technology start-ups in New York and San Francisco.
In recent years, Rhys has led campaigns and corporate reputation programs on behalf of including Dow Chemical, the Mortgage & Finance Association of Australia, Mars, Bendigo Bank, PepsiCo, McCain Foods, Kimberly-Clark and various state and Commonwealth Government Departments.
Andrew Brooks: Andrew is an experienced employment lawyer and advisor to fast growth businesses, not-for-profits and agricultural clients of Law Squared.
Andrew is committed to helping employers and their management team deal with daily staff issues and complex legal problems as they arise during the employment life cycle: hiring, managing and firing. Andrew continues to work heavily in the agricultural sector and has been directly assisting clients navigate the world of COVID-19 vaccines in these workplaces.
The webinar is brought to you by the Mushroom industry crisis and reputation risk management project (MU20006) which is funded through the mushroom levy and contributions from the Australian government.
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
What's happening with mushrooms in China?
Join Dr Chen Liangcheng, from Sylvan International Biotechnology Co., Ltd. China division, to discover the answer.
It is said that the mushroom industry is divided between two worlds - China and the rest of the world. It is because the mushroom industry in China is unique in its size, history, research and development.
China is the largest producer and consumer of mushrooms in the world and, similar to the mushroom industry in the West, is undergoing a period of consolidation, with many new and modern farms emerging while traditional farms are receding.
The mushroom industry in China has involved many people from different backgrounds, and these people might begin to play a more important role in the international mushroom community.
There are many varieties of mushrooms in China that consumers have enjoyed for a long time and the way mushrooms are prepared and marketed in China will be interesting for us to discover in Dr Chen’s presentation.
Dr Chen Liangcheng
Born in Fujian, China, LC Chen started his mushroom career with Sylvan in 1996 as the representative to China, being responsible for developing the Chinese market and introducing western cultivation technology to China. He gained experience in the cultivation of button mushrooms, enoki and king oyster, among others.
Chen obtained his doctorate in agronomy, majoring in mushrooms, at Jilin Agricultural University under the guidance of Prof. Li Yu, an academician of engineering in China. He developed optimised cultivation conditions for Flammulina velutipes in bags and feed additives from mushrooms for enhancing animal immunity in his research.
Being in the mushroom industry for over 25 years, and knowing what is going on in the industry in both China and abroad, Chen has been invited to speak on the development of the Chinese mushroom industry at conferences around the world.
Currently, Chen works as the Deputy General Manager of Sylvan China, in charge of R&D as well as spawn production.
Internal Stipe Necrosis
Internal Stipe Necrosis was recognised in the late 1980s and early 1990s as a significant emerging threat to the United Kingdom mushroom industry.
With the A. bisporus wholesale market at the time valued at around £250 million, losses of up to 10% were reported by some United Kingdom mushroom producers with one grower estimating the incidence of Internal Stipe Necrosis on his farm totalled 0.3% of mushrooms harvested at the button stage and 5.6% of mushrooms harvested at the open, flat cap stage.
Internal Stipe Necrosis has been observed sporadically on Australian mushroom farms over the past 10 years or so and its appearance is consistent with the widespread adoption of wetter and heavier black peat as a significant component of mushroom casing.
The disorder expresses as an unsightly browning and necrosis of internal stipe tissue which cannot be detected before harvest, resulting in significant loss of quality.
Mushrooms for healthy diets – what’s new with with nutritionist and dietitian Dr Flavia Fayet-Moore
Dr Flavia Fayet-Moore is a registered nutritionist, Accredited Practising Dietitian, board-certified Lifestyle Medicine Professional, and Honorary Associate of the University of Sydney. Flavia graduated from the University of Toronto with an Honours Bachelor of Science in Nutritional Sciences and obtained both her Master of Nutrition and Dietetics and PhD in nutrition from the University of Sydney.
Since completing her PhD, Flavia has focused her research and advocacy work on nutritional epidemiology, micronutrients, and bioactives; she used her findings to promote a food-first approach to address public health’s biggest problems, including Vitamin D deficiency, anaemia, and chronic disease.
Flavia is passionate about improving the health of Australians, especially among children and adolescents, through research and its translation. She is a member of the Nutrition Society of Australia, the Dietitian’s Association of Australia, and is a founding board member and fellow of the Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine.
The presentation includes:
Overview of medicinal use of mushrooms - for the immune system, as an antibiotic, in healing wounds and for mental health
Health effects in humans - what’s the evidence?
What is unique in mushrooms that’s relevant and what it means - Ergosterol (and vitamin D), Chitin (prebiotic fibre), Ergothioneine
Health effects with a focus on three - Vitamin D status, gut health and cancer
Where do mushrooms fit within current recommendations?
Spent mushroom compost as casing soil with Mohammad Mirzadeh
Mohammad Mirzadeh discusses his experience recycling spent compost for use in casing materials
MU19005 - New innovations to improve mushroom whiteness shelf life
Key research provider: Applied Horticultural Research
During 2020, this investment investigated new innovations to improve and maintain mushroom whiteness, looking at both pre- and post-harvest factors. A grower-focused Best Bets Guide was produced that outlines the most effective technologies, techniques and strategies that mushroom growers can use on-farm to improve and maintain mushroom whiteness, with information to improve handling and management through the supply chain as well.
Presenting clean, white mushrooms to consumers at retail is a proven method of increasing sales. Conversely, browning mushrooms lack freshness, appearing damaged or near the end of storage life. Improving and maintaining whiteness has the potential to boost sales and reduce waste, and ultimately increase the profitability of the mushroom sector.
The project team conducted a detailed desktop study on mushroom whiteness. Peer reviewed literature on mushroom quality has increased immensely in the last few years, with substantial information about the cellular and metabolic process involved in the browning of mushrooms, along with a wide range of methods to slow this process.
As well as detailing the causes of browning, the project’s study thoroughly reviewed pre-harvest, harvest and post-harvest strategies to improve whiteness at harvest and retain colour through the supply chain.
Promising areas requiring further work to achieve commercialisation have been identified, along with proven methods that industry could adopt right now.
Project outputs
Access the Best Bets Guide on the industry resource website AGORA.
Read this article about the project’s results in the Summer 2020 edition of Australian Mushrooms Journal.
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
Australian Mushroom Industry - Can nitrogen be better managed in compost production
Button mushrooms contain high levels of minerals, vitamins and antioxidants, but are also an excellent source of protein. With 19 - 35% protein per gram of dry weight, they contain more protein than rice (7.3%), wheat (13 %) or milk (25%), and the high content of essential amino acids also means that button mushroom proteins are 90-98% as nutritious as most meat protein.
The nitrogen required to build these proteins comes from the compost, partly from raw materials such as manure, and partly from supplements added later in the process. The carbon:nitrogen ratio in the starting compost mix is usually set to between 30:1 and 35:1, which is optimal for growth of the microbes that convert the straw into productive compost, but only about 12-15% of this nitrogen finishes up in the mushroom crop that goes to market.
This webinar will discuss how nitrogen is transformed into mushroom protein during composting and cropping, where losses occur, and how changes in starting materials or composting processes might be used to increase compost productivity and the nutritional value of the mushroom crop.
Climate change and the Australian mushroom industry – risk, adaptation and opportunities
Climate change and its impact are back in the world debate. Although mushrooms would seem less affected by climate change than other crops – being protected from extremes of weather, the industry remains vulnerable to climate-related risks.
There are also climate-related opportunities to reduce costs and improve the environmental performance of the Australian mushroom industry. E.g., onsite energy generation, new growing substrates and water recycling. Adopting new technologies can reduce costs, sidestep production limitations, and enhance the industry's “green” image.
Join Dr Jenny Ekman, Liam Southam-Rogers and Adam Goldwater who will explain why what’s good for the environment, can also be good for your business when they summarise the outcomes of the levy funded project “Understanding and managing the impacts of climate change on Australian mushroom production”.
Lecanicillium fungicola– Dry Bubble disease
Dry Bubble is the common name given to a serious fungal disease affecting cultivated Agaricus bisporus crops. It is caused by the soil-borne mycoparasites Lecanicillium fungicola var fungicola (syn: Verticillium fungicola; Verticillium malthousei) which is found in Europe and Lecanicillium fungicola var aleophilum which is more common in North American Agaricus crops, including Agaricus bitorquis. Dry Bubble is consistently the most significant problem facing growers wherever button mushrooms are grown, including Australia.
Lecanicillium fungicola was first identified as a mushroom pathogen in France in 1892 and was described as the causal agent of ‘La mole’ disease, the French term for what we now refer to as Dry Bubble. But despite more than 130 years since its first appearance, Dry Bubble continues to have a detrimental impact on mushroom production. The disease causes significant losses estimated at 2-4% of total revenue annually and poor control of the disease may result in losses approaching 20-25% or more, while uncontrolled disease can result in farm closure.
Mushroom Virus Disease - Biology and Epidemiology
Viruses are essentially non-living particles that need to exist inside a host to be able to survive and multiply. Two virus diseases of Agaricus bisporus are known:
La France disease, first recorded in 1948 in the United States.
Mushroom Virus X (MVX) disease, first recorded in the United Kingdom in 1996.
… If virus disease is not identified early and management strategies implemented, virus infected mushroom spores will accumulate on farm, creating disease reservoirs.
This Article was originally produced for the Australian Mushroom Journal Issue 4 2020.