Micología Aplicada International ISSN: Colegio de Postgraduados México

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1 Micología Aplicada International ISSN: Colegio de Postgraduados México León, R. de Cultivation of edible and medicinal mushrooms in Guatemala, Central America Micología Aplicada International, vol. 15, núm. 1, january, 2003, pp Colegio de Postgraduados Puebla, México Available in: How to cite Complete issue More information about this article Journal's homepage in redalyc.org Scientific Information System Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Non-profit academic project, developed under the open access initiative

2 MICOLOGIA MUSHROOM APLICADA CULTIVATION INTERNATIONAL, GUATEMALA 15(1), 2003, pp , PRINTED IN BERKELEY, CA, U.S.A World Society for Mushroom Biology and Mushroom Products Symposium: Prospects of Mushroom Cultivation in Latin America for the XXI Century CULTIVATION OF EDIBLE AND MEDICINAL MUSHROOMS IN GUATEMALA, CENTRAL AMERICA R. DE LEÓN Planta Productora de Hongos Comestibles y Medicinales,7a. calle 33-26, zona 7, Jardínes de Tikal II, Guatemala, Guatemala. rdeleon@itelgua.com Presented in Cuernavaca, Mexico, February 22, 2002 ABSTRACT Edible wild mushrooms have been consumed in Guatemala since pre-columbian times. However, mushroom cultivation started until the end of the 1950 s with Agaricus bisporus. This was established on a commercial scale during the 1970 s. The cultivation of Lentinula edodes began in 1979 using Quercus logs as substrate; the use of oak sawdust started in Guatemala currently produces about 68,504 kg of A. bisporus and A. bitorquis; 34,020 kg of L. edodes; and 29,580 kg of Pleurotus per year. Other mushrooms, such as Flammulina velutipes, Ganoderma lucidum, Agrocybe aegerita, Volvariella volvacea, and Pholiota nameko have also been produced experimentally since Key words: Edible mushrooms, cultivation, history, Guatemala. INTRODUCTION Guatemala is one of the countries where the Mayan civilization flourished more than 2000 years ago. The famous mushroom stones MICOL. were APL. described INT., 15(1), for 2003, the first PP. time by Carl Sapper 14, in Further studies made by Lowy 8, 9 indicated that the fungi represented in these sculptures played a role in the Mayan society; however, their actual use and meaning still remains unknown 13. In 1975, Lowy 10 reported the consumption

3 32 R. DE LEÓN of wild mushrooms that prevails in Guatemalan communities, and nowadays a variety of species can be found in popular markets (Fig. 1), such as: Cantharellus cibarius Fr., C. odoratus (Schw.)Fr., Amanita caesarea (Scop. : Fr.)Grev., Schizophyllum commune Fr., Pleurotus levis (Berk. & Curt.)Sing., Lactarius deliciosus (L. : F.)S.F. Gray., L. indigo Schw. : Fr., Hypomyces lactifluorum (Schw. : Fr.)Tul., Laccaria amethistina (Bolton : Hook)Murill, L. laccata (Scoop. ex Fr.)Berk. & Broome, Tremella reticulata Berk., Helvella crispa Scop. : Fr., H. lacunosa Fr., Polyporus umbellatus Fr., and Agrocybe aegerita (Brig.)Sing. 1, 4, 12, 15, 16. Mushroom cultivation in Guatemala began at the end of the 1950 s with A. bisporus (Lange)Imbach 11. However, it was the 1970 s when it was established on a commercial scale, and available in supermarkets 3. The Central American Institute for Research and Technology (ICAITI) began to carry out research work in 1979 on the cultivation of edible mushrooms. Pleurotus flabellatus Berk. & Br. was cultivated using coffee by-products and citronella bagasse as growing substrates 2. Subsequently, the ICAITI and the Veterinary Faculty of the University of San Carlos de Guatemala (USAC) studied the use of wheat straw degraded by Pleurotus sajorcaju (Fr. : Fr.)Quél. as animal feed for sheep 5. In 1979, a small company also started the production of Lentinula edodes on Quercus logs. After 1984, there was an increased interest for cultivating edible mushrooms, after a lecture given by G. Guzmán 6. CULTIVATION Fig. 1. Edible mushrooms sold in a popular market at Tecpan, Chimaltenango. In 1977, the first small farm for producing A. bisporus was established, and it has continued with this activity so far. At present, four more companies are also cultivating the white button mushroom. All mushroom farms use composted wheat straw, supplemented with chicken manure, urea and different meals, as substrate. The pasteurization method is by means of steam, although one company pasteurizes the substrate with the heat generated during composting. Another company takes advantage of the steam produced by geothermal facilities to pasteurize the substrate, because it is located in a volcanic region. The current production of Agaricus mushrooms in Guatemala is of around 68,504 kg/year; 70% of this production is consumed within the country and 30% is exported to El Salvador and Honduras.

4 MUSHROOM CULTIVATION IN GUATEMALA 33 The first company that produced L. edodes, established in 1984, used Quercus logs as substrate. Of its production, 70% was consumed in Guatemala and 30% exported to Mexico and Panama. The annual production during those years reached about 37,000 kg; however, it closed down in Another company is now producing about 34,020 kg per year of shiitake. Sawdust from rubber trees (Hevea brasiliensis) is being used as substrate. Most mushrooms are exported (80%), while a small proportion (20%) is marketed in Guatemala (Fig. 2A). There is also a small shiitake farm using oak logs as substrate around the city of Guatemala. Its production is consumed in the local market (Fig. 2B). The commercial production of Pleurotus began in Initially it was consumed only by French and Italian residents in Guatemala. The company uses wheat straw and coffee pulp as substrates (Fig. 2C). In 1999, a second company was established producing P. eryngii (DC. : Fr.)Quél. on sawdust of rubber trees and corn-cobs. Oyster mushrooms are normally sold in the domestic market. The annual production of Pleurotus is of about 29,580 kg. Most A C B Fig. 2A-D. Commercial cultivation of edible mushrooms in Guatemala. A-B: Shiitake mushrooms cultivated using sawdust from rubber trees (A) and oak logs (B) as growing substrates. C: Oyster mushrooms grown on a mixture of wheat straw and coffee pulp. D: Production of mushroom spawn within a mushroom farm around the city of Guatemala. D

5 34 R. DE LEÓN Table 1. Estimated production of cultivated and medicinal mushrooms in Guatemala (2000). Species Production Proportion of Typical substrates Number of (Fresh weight, kg) production (%) Employees Agaricus bisporus 68, Supplemented wheat straw 46 A. bitorquis and sugar cane bagasse Lentinula edodes 34, Sawdust from oak and 17 rubber trees Pleurotus spp. 29, Wheat straw, coffee 13 pulp, corn-cobs Total 132, Figs Experimental cultivation of edible mushrooms in Guatemala. 3: Ganoderma lucidum cultivated on sawdust from rubber trees supplemented with corn-cobs. 4: Agrocybe aegerita grown on wheat straw. production (90%) is consumed in Guatemala, while a small proportion (10%) is exported to El Salvador and Honduras. The total production of cultivated edible and medicinal mushrooms in Guatemala has been estimated to be 132,104 kg per year (Table 1), including A. bisporus and A. bitorquis (51.9%), L. edodes (25.7%), and Pleurotus (22.4%). A total of 76 employees work in the developing mushroom industry. Two Agaricus farms in Guatemala produce their own spawn, while the other three import the spawn from the U.S.A. All Pleurotus and shiitake farms produce their spawn (Fig. 2D). One farm sells spawn to rural villages for the cultivation of Pleurotus on local agricultural by-products (e.g., coffee pulp, wheat straw, corn-cobs), as well as for shiitake cultivation on logs for the sustainable management of the forest. Training courses have been carried out since 1990, in order to promote Pleurotus production in rural villages having traditions of mushroom consumption. There are three non-governmental organizations involved

6 MUSHROOM CULTIVATION IN GUATEMALA 35 in programmes of rural development. Two work in San Marcos (a diocesan priest, and Pastoral de la Tierra Interdiocesana ), while another works in Huehuetanango ( Asociación para el Desarrollo de Huehuetanango ). In 1995, several studies were performed on the cultivation of Flammulina velutipes (Curt. ex Fr.) Sing., Ganoderma lucidum (Leyss.: Fr.) P. Karst., Agrocybe aegerita (Brig.) Sing., Volvariella volvacea (Bull.: Fr.) Sing., and Pholiota nameko (T. Ito) S. Ito et Imai apud Imai. A Thai strain of G. lucidum has been cultivated on sawdust from rubber trees supplemented with corncobs in a mushroom farm from Escuintla, a tropical region of Guatemala (Fig. 3). Native strains of A. aegerita have been isolated, characterized in the laboratory, and cultivated on straw (Fig. 4) 7. Mushroom production and consumption in Guatemala is greater than that of any other Central American country. Since 1991, the Orthodox Monastery Lavra Mambré has promoted the use of medicinal mushrooms. It is being achieved through capsules and tinctures containing L. edodes, Grifola frondosa, and several species of Ganoderma. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author thanks the following persons for their information on mushroom production: Mrs. Faviola Silva, Estratos Company; Eng. Florentin Pérez, Pilón Cosechón ; Dr. Fridolin Birk Myconos; and Mr. Hideo Kojima. Nun Yvonne Sommerkamp and M.Sc. Isabel Valdez for the text review and translation. LITERATURE CITED 1. Argueta, J. N Estudio de los macromicetos de la Ciudad de Guatemala, Mixco y San Juan Sacatepéquez. Tesis de licenciatura. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas y Farmacia, University of San Carlos, Guatemala. 45 pp. 2. De León, R., E. Morales, L. de Agreda and C. Rolz Coffee by-products and citronella bagasse as substrate for Pleurotus production. Mushroom Newsletter for the Tropics 4(1): De León, R., G. Guzmán and D. Martínez-Carrera Planta productora de hongos comestibles (Pleurotus ostreatus) en Guatemala. Rev. Mex. Mic. 4: Flores, R., M. C. Bran and M. Honrubia Edible mushrooms of the west highlands of Guatemala. Pp. 22. In: Second international workshop on edible mycorrhizal mushrooms. Ed. I. Hall. Invermay Agricultural Center, Mosgiel, New Zeland. 5. Franco, L. F Valor nutritivo de la paja de trigo tratada con el hongo basidiomiceto Pleurotus sajor-caju como fuente de alimento para ovinos. Tesis de licenciatura. Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, University of San Carlos, Guatemala. 53 pp. 6. Guzmán, G El uso de los hongos en Mesoamérica. Ciencia y Desarrollo (CONACYT-Mexico) 59: Lau, D Estudio fisiológico de Agrocybe aegerita, cepas guatemaltecas. Tesis de licenciatura. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas y Farmacia, University of San Carlos, Guatemala. 51 pp. 8. Lowy, B Un hongo de piedra preclásico de Mixco Viejo. Bol. Inf. Soc. Mex. Micol. 2: Lowy, B New records of mushroom stones from Guatemala. Mycologia 63: Lowy, B Notes on mushrooms and religion. Rev. Inter. Rev. 1: Martínez-Carrera, D Mushroom biotechnology in tropical America. International Journal of Mushroom Sciences 3: Morales, O. I Estudio etnomicológico de la cabecera municipal de Tecpán- Chimaltenango. Tesis de licenciatura. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas y Farmacia, University of San Carlos, Guatemala. 83 pp. 13. Ohi, K Piedras-hongo y arqueología Maya. Pp In: Piedras-Hongo. Eds. K. Ohi and M. F. Torres. Museo Tabaco y Sal, Tokyo. 14. Sapper, C Pilzförmige Götzenbilder aus Guatemala und San Salvador. Globus 73: Sommerkamp, Y. and G. Guzmán Hongos de Guatemala, II. Especies depositadas en el herbario de la Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala. Rev. Mex. Mic. 6: Sommerkamp, Y Los hongos macromicetos de Guatemala. Pp In: Piedras-Hongo. Eds. K. Ohi and M. F. Torres. Museo Tabaco y Sal, Tokyo.