Project Overview
Information Products
Commodities
- Vegetables: tomatoes
- Miscellaneous: mushrooms
Practices
- Crop Production: agroforestry, cover crops, double cropping, forest farming, intercropping, no-till, nutrient cycling, organic fertilizers
- Education and Training: on-farm/ranch research, workshop
- Natural Resources/Environment: soil stabilization
- Production Systems: organic agriculture, permaculture
- Soil Management: composting, organic matter, soil analysis, soil chemistry, soil microbiology, soil quality/health
Summary:
Soil health is critical to sustainable agriculture and nutrient dense food production. Many agricultural soils are unhealthy and standard practices like tilling, fertilizing, soil compaction, and over production, are exacerbating the problem. In order to improve the health and potential of our soils to ensure our future food demands are met, we need to make sustainable changes. This project proposes to evaluate the use of an innovative method for soil improvement while increasing crop productivity, food nutritive value, and income revenue for farmers. The use of the Wine Cap mushroom as a soil builder shows promise from previous research. New research in nutrition indicates that mushrooms contain Ergothioneine, an important antioxidant linked to longevity and healthy aging. While mushrooms are the primary source of Ergothioneine, evidence suggests plants grown in healthy soils or alongside fungi have increased Ergothioneine concentrations. Wine Cap (Stropharia rugoso-annulata) is simple to grow, highly productive, and has significant potential for farmer crop diversification. This study is a collaborative effort between experienced mushroom farmers, University researchers, and the agricultural community. This project will provide quantitative data and a project-based avenue for educating farmers about the benefits and ease of mushroom cultivation, while evaluating the application of mushroom growing to improve soils and plant crops.
The research approach for this project included extensive literature search and design and carry out of a scientific evaluation of our hypotheses. We designed and executed an experimental plot with three treatments (Control, Straw mulch, and Straw mulch with the Wine Cap mushroom) with 5 replicates in a randomized block design. We collected quantitative and qualitative data on over 30 variables, performed regular assessments, and sent in samples for further testing. Due to the COVID pandemic, we had to modify our plans to host onsite workshops for outreach and dissemination, and instead, focused on creating video, newsletter, and social media content to promote this project and reach farmers.
Project Conclusions
Over the three years of this study, we were able to confirm the findings of our previous grant FNC17-1070. We consistently measured larger, healthier crop plants (Tomato, corn, and black bean) grown in plots with the commonly cultivated Wine Cap Mushroom (Stropharia rugoso-annulata). Furthermore, tomato plants grown in plots with Wine Cap had higher yields, on average, than the straw and control plots. The addition of mulch to the soil surface can increase soil moisture retention, aid in building the soil, suppress weeds, and act as a protectant from soil-borne pathogens for plants. We were able to measure these benefits by comparing control plots to the treatment plots that received mulch. Furthermore, we were able to demonstrate that the addition of Wine Cap not only speeds up the decomposition of raw organic mulch materials, but the actively growing fungi also increase bed temperature. We continued to struggle with how to appropriately measure any soil changes in response to our treatments. Given the high degree of spatial-temporal variation in many soils, we increased our number of replicates as well as number of soil cores per plot from the previous study. Despite these attempts, there was still a high degree of variability between our 5 replicate plots in each treatment. It is possible that the time frame of this study is insufficient to measure changes in soil parameters. Lastly, 2022 was a much drier season than 2020 and this likely attributed to the significant decline in overall soil biological activity from 2020 to 2022.
These results, our experimental work, and experiences have been frequently shared through the Field and Forest website, video content, and direct communications with farmers. We have noticed a significant increase in farmer interest in using cultivated fungi to improve soil health and many who have shared their own experiences and observations.
Project objectives:
This project seeks to evaluate the use of the low cost, organically grown Wine Cap mushrooms to improve soil health, reduce the need for tilling, weed control, and watering while increasing crop health, productivity, and value (increased through increased nutrient density and Ergothioneine content.
Our objective are:
- Test changes in soil health in response to Wine Cap mushroom cultivation through field testing
- Involve and educate farmers to promote mushroom industry growth through field days, social media, and consulting
- Measure Ergothioneine content in response to Wine Cap
We designed an experimental plot with three treatments and five replicates in a random block design on our farm in Peshtigo, WI. We took baseline soil measurements in 2020 when the plots were established, and then again at the end of the 2022 season in order to measure any changes over the experimental period. We planted several crop plants in the three years of the study (tomato, corn, black beans) in order to measure treatment effects on plant health and productivity. Plant samples (roots, leaves, fruits) were harvested and stored for further testing including ergothioneine content.