Biologische efficientie van champignon lijnen (BO-25.03-002-004)

Innovation in the Dutch mushroom industry

The Dutch mushroom industry requests a more efficient and less vulnerable production system. Two projects address these items within the theme “Innovation Horticulture-Mushrooms”. One of the projects (Input-Output) has thoroughly examined the present system in order to reveal the limits of the system and to find opportunities for improvement. The outcome has been used to generate experimental crops especially directed to a more efficient use of the substrate, one of the main costs factors in the production of button mushrooms. Next phase of the project are now applying adaptations in the production system and/or ingredients for the substrate to improve efficiency in substrate utilisation. In the second project, increase in efficiency is approached via improvement of the button mushroom varieties. All button mushroom varieties used worldwide are genetically very similar. The available varieties present in the collection of PRI Wageningen UR are used to find genetic components that explain the variation in efficiency of substrate utilisation between different varieties. The knowledge generated will be used to adapt substrate and to improve the present varieties. By including in this project also the species shiitake (Lentinula edodes) and king oyster (Pleurotus eryngii), knowledge will be generated how to use to these species to valorise organic (waste) materials since these King oyster and shiitake are able to degrade selectively lignin during vegetative growth. Industries that use biomass to generate energy, fine chemicals and animal feed are looking for less expensive and more durable methods to remove lignin from lignocellulose materials.  Fungi that produce edible mushrooms can offer such an alternative. Treatment of organic matter by fungi is in fact already applied on a large scale by the Dutch mushroom industry and can thus be adapted for pretreatment of organic matter by fungi.