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Air conditions required for the growth and development of Hericium erinaceus

3. Air

In the air, oxygen and carbon dioxide are important factors affecting the growth and development of Hericium erinaceus. Generally, in normal air, the oxygen content is about 21% and the carbon dioxide content is about 0.03%. Hericium erinaceus is an aerobic fungus. It respires during its growth and development, and needs to continuously absorb oxygen, release carbon dioxide and generate energy for the growth of Hericium erinaceus. Therefore, the growth and development process of Hericium erinaceus requires sufficient oxygen. If the air is not circulated and the oxygen is insufficient, the growth of Hericium erinaceus mycelium and the development of fruiting bodies will be inhibited. The growth of Hericium erinaceus mycelium and fruiting bodies have different requirements for air. The mycelium can grow normally under environmental conditions with a carbon dioxide concentration of 0.3% to 1%. Therefore, the mycelium grows well in a cotton-plugged spawn bottle, but if the air conditions are too poor and the carbon dioxide concentration is too high, the mycelium growth rate will slow down when it exceeds 1%, and the mycelium will not grow when it exceeds 3%. If the mouth of the fungus bottle is wrapped with a poorly ventilated plastic film, the mycelium can still grow at first. As the carbon dioxide concentration in the bottle increases, the mycelium growth rate gradually slows down, the mycelium becomes thin and weak, and finally stops growing completely; if the plastic film is removed or a cotton plug is used instead, the mycelium can continue to grow.

During the fruiting body development stage, Hericium erinaceus is very sensitive to carbon dioxide. Poor ventilation or high carbon dioxide content in the air has a great impact on primordium differentiation and fruiting body growth. During the growth of fruiting bodies, the carbon dioxide concentration in the air should be 0.03%~0.1%. When it exceeds 0.1%, the fruiting body is not easy to differentiate, the ball center is poorly developed, the stipe is elongated, the stipe is constantly branched, the thorns are twisted, the deformed fruiting body is formed, and the spore formation is slow. When the ventilation conditions are good, the carbon dioxide concentration is low, the fruiting body grows rapidly, and the ball is large. Therefore, the Hericium erinaceus culture room should be ventilated regularly every day to eliminate excessive carbon dioxide and other metabolic waste gases