Shixing Shiitake Mushrooms

Shixing Shiitake Mushrooms

　　Shiitake mushrooms are a traditional specialty of Shixing County with a long cultivation history. They are a well-known local product in Guangdong Province, the authentic representative of "Northern Guangdong Shiitake," and a famous production base for "Northern Mushrooms." According to the *Shixing County Annals* from the early 1990s: "The local production of shiitake mushrooms in Shixing has a history of over 300 years. For a long time, ancient mushroom cultivation methods were used, resulting in low yields. During the Republican era, the county typically produced about 15 tons of dried shiitake mushrooms annually. By the 1970s, advanced techniques and superior varieties were introduced from other regions, and the successful promotion of spawn cultivation technology led to an annual production of 50,000–60,000 jin of dried shiitake mushrooms, reaching 70,000–80,000 jin in good years. After the development of bag-cultivated shiitake mushrooms between 1987 and 1988, annual production exceeded 100,000 kilograms. Including log-grown mushrooms, the total output value of shiitake mushrooms in the county was about 10 million yuan. From 1959 to 1989, the county supply and marketing cooperatives purchased a total of 178.9 tons of dried shiitake mushrooms." The *Shixing County Local Annals* (compiled in the 33rd year of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty) once described mushroom cultivation as follows: "Mushroom growers in the mountains cut down maple, roundwood, and hookwood trees, place them in the mountains, split them with knives into inch-long pieces, and let the wood endure frost and snow. The following year, shiitake mushrooms grow from them."

　　Shixing County is located in northern Guangdong Province, at the southern foot of the Nanling Mountain Range, along the upper reaches of the Beijiang River and the middle reaches of the Zhenjiang River. Surrounded by high mountains, Shixing boasts fertile land, with a total land area of 3.2612 million mu. It has a mid-subtropical climate and is nationally recognized as a key forestry county, a national demonstration site for forest resource and forestry administration management, and a national comprehensive forestry development demonstration county. The county has 173,400 hectares of forested land, accounting for 82% of its total area, with a forest coverage rate of 75.2% to 76.6%. The land is fertile, rainfall is abundant, the climate is mild, the air is fresh, and plant and forest resources are especially rich, making it highly suitable for the growth of edible fungi.

　　Shixing shiitake mushrooms are categorized by quality into three types: wild, log-cultivated, and bag-cultivated. Each type is further divided into flower mushrooms, winter mushrooms, and fragrant mushrooms (spring mushrooms), with flower mushrooms being the highest quality and considered the finest among shiitake mushrooms. Flower mushrooms have a light black cap surface with white cracked patterns, and a light yellow base. They are named for the floral patterns on their caps. Shixing shiitake mushrooms are beloved by gourmets for their short stems, thick flesh, tenderness, visible patterns, smooth texture, and delicate fragrance. Traditionally, Shixing shiitake mushrooms were exported to Hong Kong, Macau, and Southeast Asia. Major production areas are distributed in Siqian, Aizi, Shendushui, Huashan, Luoba, Chengjiang, Beishan, and Liujia Mountain. In December 1992, Shixing County successfully hosted the "Shiitake Mushroom Festival," attracting 550 merchants and experts to discuss the development of the mushroom industry. In May 2004, the Starlight Plan project "Industrialization Demonstration of Edible Fungi," submitted by the Shixing County Science and Technology Development Center, won the First Prize of the Guangdong Provincial Science and Technology Award.

　　Nowadays, based on the mountainous forest resources, guided by market demand, and supported by science and technology, Shixing County adopts a production model of "company (cooperative) + base + farmers" to create an integrated industrial chain encompassing research, production, processing, and sales. Previously, due to the long-term use of ancient cultivation methods that resulted in low yields, starting from the late 1980s and early 1990s, Shixing County began large-scale artificial cultivation of shiitake mushrooms. In line with market and consumer demands, new varieties such as log-grown and bag-cultivated shiitake mushrooms were introduced, and their cultivation was vigorously promoted.

　　1. High-temperature steam is used to sterilize the mushroom cultivation substrate, which is efficient, energy-saving, labor-saving, and reduces contamination by miscellaneous bacteria.   2. Bag-cultivated shiitake mushroom substrate composition: 50% mulberry branches, 25% branch wood (sawdust), 20% wheat bran, 2% white sugar, 2% gypsum, 1% special material, water content ratio 1:1.1, pH value 6–6.5.   3. Mechanical stirring and bagging: Polypropylene plastic bags measuring 15 cm * 55 cm * 0.05 cm are used for bagging, followed by high-temperature sterilization and cooling.   4. Liquid spawn is injected into the bags in the inoculation room, then stacked for spawn running and mycelium management. The mycelium is fully developed after about two months of cultivation.   5. Once a small number of mushroom buds form, the bags can be moved to the fruiting field for light exposure and placed under shelters for fruiting management.   6. Mushroom harvesting and processing: Fresh mushrooms are harvested, graded, and packaged, or stored in cold storage at 3–4°C for preservation. For market distribution, they are transported in refrigerated trucks at 2–5°C or packed in foam boxes.