Biology and Nutritional Contents in the Culinary-Medicinal Milky White Mushroom, Calocybe indica (Agaricomycetes), during Cultivation Involving Casing and Scratching Treatments.

The milky white mushroom, Calocybe indica Purkay & A. Chandra, is a tropical species not commercially cultivated in Europe. The influence of casing and scratching treatments on productivity, morphological characteristics, and nutritional contents were investigated during the cultivation of C. indica on locally available substrates. The highest total mushroom yield (43.6 ± 1.7/100 g substrate fresh weight [FW]) and biological efficiency (BE; 128.1 ± 5.0%) were obtained from treatment T6 that received casing (30-mm height) and the scratching treatment before casing. The lowest yield (27.6 ± 2.3/100 g FW) and BE (81.1 ± 6.9%) were in the treatment that had no casing and no scratching treatment (T7). The yield in the first and second flush combined accounted for 82-90% of the total yield in all treatments except in T7, where it was 100%. The longest (61.1 ± 1.7 days) and shortest (39 ± 0 days) cropping cycles were recorded in T6 and T7, respectively. The highest dry matter content in fruiting bodies (12.6%) was in the treatments with casing (10 mm height) and scratching (T4), and the lowest (8.2%) was in T7. The scratching treatment significantly decreased (P < 0.05) the lipid and ash content in fruiting bodies. To our knowledge, this is the first report on tests conducted on tropical mushroom C. indica under simulated industrial cultivation conditions in Europe. Although it requires a high temperature for cultivation (28-32°C), C. indica could become an alternative mushroom for cultivation in temperature climates and during the summer, when high temperatures significantly increase the costs of commercial production and marketing of white button, portabella, and most other exotic mushrooms.