Research Groups | The Mushroom R&D Department | Optimization of Compost Production

Team

• Ofer Danai
• Nirit Azov
• Dan Levanon

Abstract

Optimization of compost production
Methods of compost production have changed markedly in recent years, for two reasons:

1. Environmental legislation has forced bad odors, flies, contaminated water, etc.  to be eliminated from composting facilities:
2. There have been technological advances in production, leading to higher efficiency and larger volumes.

Substrate preparation (composting) in the mushroom industry can be divided into three stages: namely phase I, II, III.  During recent years, due to the above mentioned reasons, all three stages are conducted in industrial facilities. Quality control methods were developed for the former growing method (Levanon et al., 1983), based on the optimal values for a number of parameters at certain critial stages of production.
The drastic changes in production  methods, caused variability in selectivity and quality of the compost, and  therefore there is a need for a new quality control system, adapted to the current methods.

Objectives

• Charactarization of the critical stages in production.
• Selection of representative chemical, physical and biological parameters.
• Determination of the optimal range for each parameter at each critical stage.
• Definition of quality control system based on these parameters and stages.
• Definition of compost’s quality parameters adapted for the main groups of strains.

Publications:

• Levanon, D., Dosoretz, C and Motro, B. 1983. Chemicalc and biological qualification of synthetic composts for mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus)  Mushroom News 31 (4): 16-19.
• Levanon, D., Danai, O. and Masaphy, S. 1988. Chemical and physical  parameters in recycling organic wastes for mushroom production.  Biol. Wastes 26: 341-348.
• Levanon, D. and Danai, O. 1997.  Recycling agricultural residuals in Israel BioCycle 6:56-57.
• Danai, O, and Levanon D. 2000. Selection of substrates for mushroom cultivation and spawn production. PP2-3-207 in: Mushroom Genetic resources for food and Agriculture. J.E Labarere & U.G Menini eds. FAO Publication.