Artificial propagation of termites and cultivation of Alternaria albuminata

Alpinia ternata is one of the four famous mushrooms in China. It is a wild mushroom unique to the southwestern Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan areas. It generally grows in termite nests . Here we will introduce to you the artificial breeding of termites and the cultivation of Alpinia ternata.

Can Alpinia arborvitae be cultivated artificially?

Because the ecological environment of Alternaria albuminosa is relatively complex, and most importantly, it must form a specific symbiotic relationship with termites, which makes it quite difficult to artificially cultivate Alternaria albuminosa. It was learned from the Kunming Forestry and Grassland Research Institute that the first Alpinia ternata mushroom emerged from an artificial termite nest cultivated in the institute's laboratory, marking the first time that Alpinia ternata mushrooms have been produced under artificial cultivation conditions in China's laboratory.

Artificial propagation of termites and cultivation of Alternaria albuminata

1. Build a mushroom shed

The mushroom shed is built in a place close to water source, with convenient transportation and fertile soil. The mushroom shed is east-west oriented, 100m long, 8m wide and 3m high. However, the specific size needs to be determined according to local conditions.

2. Breeding

Prepare a culture medium by mixing 75% sawdust, 1.5% gypsum , 20% wheat bran , 140% water and 3% termite nesting soil. Then fill the bag with the material in a polypropylene bag (17×45cm in size) and disinfect and inoculate it. Generally, after sterilization, you need to put the mother culture of Alternaria japonica into the bag.

3. Planting

When the mycelium grows out, it is planted in ant holes. Each ant hole can be planted with 15-18 plants. Then cover the lower part of the mycelium ball with soil. After planting, water it and pay attention to shading.

4. Post-management

Keep the temperature at 25-30℃, the air humidity at 90%, the day and night temperatures should be around 10℃, and the ground temperature should be 25-27℃. Generally, it needs to be watered once a week. If there is a dry season, it usually needs to be watered once every 2-3 days.

That’s it