What are bacteria and how do they cause disease in mushroom crops?
Bacteria are single-celled microorganisms that rapidly multiply and can survive pasteurization. They can be round, spiral, rod-shaped or long strands (actinomycetes), swim in water films and form slime or ooze. Mechanical wounds or wounds from insect or nematode pests allow bacteria to enter mushrooms and cause rot. Bacterial blotch Symptoms of bacterial blotch include pale yellow spots that form at the edge of the mushroom cap. Spots become large and turn brown on the cap surface. Bacteria spread in the casing, dust and debris, water, on equipment and tools, and by workers and pests such as flies and nematodes. Cultural controls • following cultural controls as listed above; strict sanitation and hygiene must be followed to prevent serious disease losses; • keeping water off caps; do not allow caps to remain wet for more that 4-6 hours; • reducing the humidity and increasing ventilation; • watering with a 150 ppm chlorine solution using calcium hypochlorite; do not use sodium hypochlo
