Pingquan Slippery Mushroom

Pingquan Slippery Mushroom

Pingquan Slippery Mushroom is a geographical indication agricultural product.

　　Pingquan Slippery Mushroom is a specialty of Pingquan County, Hebei Province, and a China geographical indication product. Located at the southern edge of the Yanshan Mountain Range, Pingquan County boasts abundant forest resources suitable for edible mushroom cultivation, as well as ample agricultural by-products such as corn cobs, wheat bran, rice husks, and soybean stalks. The production area enjoys an average annual temperature of 7.3 degrees Celsius and significant diurnal temperature variations. These unique climatic conditions are ideal for developing off-season edible mushroom production, earning the county the title of “National Advanced County in the Edible Mushroom Industry.” The Slippery Mushroom is the leading variety among Pingquan’s edible mushrooms and holds a notable position nationwide. It is also the key pricing center for Slippery Mushrooms in China. The product is exported to Japan, South Korea, Canada, the United States, Western Europe, Southeast Asia, and other countries.

　　Pingquan County serves as the northeastern gateway of Hebei Province, bordering Liaoning to the east and Inner Mongolia to the north, and is known as the “Gateway between Beijing, Hebei, Liaoning, and Inner Mongolia.” The county covers a total area of 3,308 square kilometers, with 720,000 mu of arable land and a forest coverage rate of 52%. It administers 20 towns and 334 administrative villages. Pingquan’s vast land, abundant resources, favorable climate, convenient transportation, and advanced communication infrastructure have driven strong momentum in the development of its edible mushroom industry. Backed by Liaoning and Inner Mongolia and facing Beijing and Tianjin, the county offers excellent transport conditions for distributing edible mushroom products. With 2.59 million mu of forested land and 3 million cubic meters of timber stock, Pingquan has 550,000 mu of acacia forests—ideal for edible mushroom cultivation—and annually produces 100,000 tons of corn cobs, wheat bran, rice husks, and soybean stalks, providing abundant raw materials for the industry. Situated at the southern edge of the Yanshan Mountain Range, Pingquan has an average annual temperature of 7.3 degrees Celsius and notable diurnal temperature differences, making it highly suitable for off-season edible mushroom production.

In the early 21st century, Pingquan became one of China’s four major edible mushroom production regions, serving as a major production base and distribution hub for edible mushrooms in northern China. It was recognized by the China Edible Mushroom Association as a “National Advanced County in the Edible Mushroom Industry,” designated by the national government as one of the first “Model Counties for Horticultural Export Bases,” and named by the provincial government as the “Hometown of Edible Mushroom Specialties in Hebei.” Production Background: Edible mushroom cultivation in Pingquan began in the late 20th century. By 2009, the county had 550 technical professionals, over 1,100 township and village-level technicians, and more than 3,000 science and technology demonstration households, forming a robust technical workforce for the edible mushroom industry. The county established technical cooperation with several research institutions and universities, including the Hebei Academy of Microbiology, the Qingyuan Edible Mushroom Research Institute in Zhejiang, the Nagano Miyazawa Red Mushroom Research Institute in Japan, and Chiba University in Japan—laying a foundation for introducing new technologies and developing new varieties. Over 80% of Pingquan’s edible mushroom products are exported, with markets covering Japan, South Korea, Canada, the United States, Western Europe, and Southeast Asia, making them internationally competitive products.

The Slippery Mushroom is the leading variety among Pingquan County’s edible mushrooms and holds a notable position nationwide. Farmers in Pingquan sort Slippery Mushrooms.

　　It is also the key pricing center for Slippery Mushrooms in China. As a well-known edible mushroom production base and distribution hub in northern China, Pingquan has long been honored as the “Hometown of Edible Mushrooms in China.” In 2012, Pingquan was one of the largest high-quality shiitake mushroom production bases in northern China and produced 90,000 tons of high-quality Slippery Mushrooms annually, accounting for one-third of the national total. In the early 21st century, Pingquan implemented the strategy of “Quality Establishes the Industry, Technology Boosts the Industry, Leading Enterprises Strengthen the Industry, and Markets Energize the Industry,” vigorously developing its distinctive edible mushroom sector. By 2012, the total output of Slippery Mushrooms reached 100,000 tons, accounting for 25% of the national total. Geographical Indication: In accordance with the “Administrative Measures for Geographical Indications of Agricultural Products,” the Xingke Edible Mushroom Professional Cooperative of Pingquan County, Hebei Province, applied for national registration and protection of the “Pingquan Slippery Mushroom” as a geographical indication. After preliminary review, expert evaluation, and public announcement, it met the procedures and requirements for registration and was officially approved on August 3, 2012.

　　Geographical Scope

　　The protected geographical indication area for Pingquan Slippery Mushrooms includes 291 administrative villages across 19 towns in Pingquan County: Wolong Town, Pingquan Town, Yangshuling Town, Tai Tou Shan Township, Songshu Tai Township, Yushulinzi Town, Maolangou Township, Pingfang Township, Huangtuliangzi Town, Beiwushijiazi Town, Liuxi Township, Qijiadai Township, Qigou Town, Wangtufang Township, Dangba Town, Guozhangzi Township, Xiaosigou Town, Nanwushijiazi Town, and Daohugou Township. The geographical coordinates span 118°21′ to 119°15′ east longitude and 40°24′ to 40°40′ north latitude, within the boundaries of Pingquan County. The protected area covers 620,000 mu, with a production area of 15,000 mu and an annual output of 100,000 tons.

　　Product Quality Characteristics

　　1. External Sensory Features: Pingquan Slippery Mushrooms have dense fruiting bodies, relatively large size, round and neat shape, yellow-white color, thin mucus layer, and resistance to opening. The stems are relatively long, with few scales, and possess a unique fresh fragrance. 2. Internal Quality: Pingquan Slippery Mushrooms are not only palatable but also rich in nutrients. Test results show that compared to ordinary Slippery Mushrooms, those from Pingquan have significantly higher levels of aspartic acid, leucine, alanine, total amino acids, protein, and vitamin B2. They also surpass ordinary varieties in threonine, serine, proline, methionine, glycine, cystine, valine, isoleucine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, lysine, histidine, arginine, fat, and phosphorus. 3. Quality and Safety Requirements: 3.1 Ensure good environmental hygiene; properly disinfect mushroom houses, bag surfaces, tools, and utensils. Promptly remove mushroom roots, rotten mushrooms, and waste, keeping them away from the growing area. 3.2 Strictly prevent contaminated substrate; sterilization must be thorough, and inoculation carried out under sterile, low-temperature conditions. Maintain suitable temperatures (not exceeding 28°C) during spawn run and ensure adequate ventilation. 3.3 Use only vigorous, high-quality spawn of appropriate age. Discard any degenerated, aged, or contaminated spawn. 3.4 When formulating substrate, add wheat bran, gypsum, and other nutrients in proper proportions without excess. 3.5 Isolate and manage contaminated bags. For lightly contaminated ones, treat with localized lime water injections; pesticides are prohibited. Also enhance temperature, humidity, and ventilation control in the mushroom house. Severely contaminated bags should be buried or used for producing litter-decomposing fungi after fermentation. 3.6 Install insect-proof screens on mushroom house doors and windows to prevent adult pests from entering and eliminate sources of infestation. Regularly sprinkle lime powder inside to sterilize and kill insects. 3.7 After fruiting, use biological agents or a combination of methods such as blacklight traps, yellow sticky boards, insect-proof screens, and fly-killing lamps to control pests. The product quality complies with the national agricultural industry standard NY5095－2006 for pollution-free edible fungi.