STOCKSCH 290B

Jan. 25 – May 4,  2022

3 Credits

ENROLL HERE

Instructor: Dr. Hung K. Doan                    Email:  hkdoan@ucanr.edu

Dr. Hung K. Doan  is a Small Farms and Specialty Crops Advisor for the University of California, Cooperative Extension and serves the Southern California’s Inland Empire. Hung earned his Ph.D. degree in Plant Pathology from the University of California, Davis. His research and extension activities are focused on the areas of plant pathology, vegetable and specialty crops (mushroom) production systems, integrated pest management, sustainable food systems, and food safety. With a solid foundation of education in mycology and agriculture education, Hung has taught courses in mushroom identification and cultivation at UC Davis.

Course Goals: The course introduces methods of growing edible mushrooms, including culture maintenance, basic mushroom substrate preparation, composting, spawn generation techniques, inoculation methods, harvesting, and pests and pest management. The history of mushroom production and recent trends in the diversification of edible mushrooms will be discussed.  The biology of individual edible mushrooms will be covered.

Introduction to Mushroom Cultivation Syllabus

Outline of Topics:

1. History of mushroom production
2. Biology of edible mushrooms
3. Sterile technique and culture maintenance
4. Substrate preparation
5. Composting
6. Spawn generation techniques
7. Inoculation methods
8. Incubation and harvesting
9. Pests and pest management
10. Agaricus bisporus cultivation
11. Wood decomposers: Shiitake, oysters, mitake, and reishi cultivation
12. Collecting wild mushrooms

Class Lecture Schedule:

1. Introduction; History of Mushroom Production
2. Sterile Technique and Culture Maintenance
3. Fruiting Substrates
4. Substrate Preparation – Straw and Sawdust Blocks
5. Mushroom discussion: Enoki , Oyster, and Shimeji
6. Mushroom Biology and Fungal Genetics
7. Spawn Generation Techniques; Inoculation Methods
8. Mushroom discussion: Shiitake and Reishi
9. Agaricus Production: Phase I Composting
10. Incubation; Harvest; Ventilation
11. Mushroom discussion: Black Poplar and Button
12. Agaricus Production: Phase II
13. Cloning Mushrooms; Culture Collections
14. Mushroom discussion: Lion’s Mane and Maitake
15. Agaricus Production: Casing; Pinning; Harvest
16. Fruiting Containers; Evaluating Mushroom Strains
17. Other Cultivated Mushrooms (Straw, Wood Ear, Nameko, others)
18. Pest, Disease, and Weed Control
19. Troubleshooting: Small-Scale Commercialization of Edible Mushrooms
20. Mushroom Nutritional and Medicinal Value
21. Other EdibleFungi; Biological Efficiency
22. Collecting Wild Mushrooms

Grading: Grades will be determined by the results of two quizzes (10% each), two written assignments (20% each), and a comprehensive final examination (40% of total).

Readings:

Required: Lynch, T. (2018).  Mushroom Cultivation

Recommended: Stamets, P.  (1993).  Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms

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This class is part of the Sustainable Food and Farming Online Certificate Program and will count toward the Associate of Science degree as well as the Online B.S. degree.  Online classes cost $482/credit.

To begin planning for the future, see….

Annual Class Schedule

NOTE: The UMass Sustainable Food and Farming Certificate has been declared eligible for Veterans Educational Benefits. For instructions see: Veterans Benefits.

If you are not interested in earning college credit, there are many non-credited workshops and short courses you can take outside of the university.  For a list see: non-university workshops and courses.