White button mushrooms are among the most widely cultivated mushrooms in the world. Like other mushrooms, they enrich the human diet and contribute to balanced nutrition by:
- Providing antioxidants and vitamin B to support the immune and nervous systems,
- Maintaining essential minerals, such as iron, phosphor, copper, potassium and selenium.
- Supporting the digestive system thanks to the presence of fiber.
The mushroom production industry faces a significant risk of farm contamination from bacteria, viruses, fungi, and nematodes.
Some of the most harmful microorganisms in the industry are fungi of the Trichoderma and Cladobotryum species that form green and white mold, which:
- Colonizes compost and inhibits mushroom growth,
- Covers the fruiting bodies with green mould, making them incapable of being eaten,
- Destroys the mycelium,
- Start the process of fruiting bodies rotting.
Bacillus subtilis is a bacterium that acts antagonistically to disease-spreading fungi in the mushroom farming industry. Antagonism involves the production of secondary metabolites that counteract the proliferation and spread of problematic microorganisms.
The application of properly selected Bacillus strains can contribute to a significant reduction of the infestation rate by green and white mold on fruiting bodies.
Bacillus subtilis is a healthier, cheaper, and easier alternative to the use of fungicides.
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