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Abstract: A survey of casing materials and practices and their effects on crop yield and quality was undertaken covering 48 different casings on 40 farms. A wide range in casing materials and practices was found. The factor in the survey which was most closely correlated with mushroom yield was casing depth, with the optimum in the range 45-55 mm. There was a significant trend for blacker peats to produce cleaner mushrooms than brown peats. This effect was also demonstrated in a subsequent controlled experiment, although the effect was negated when mushrooms were formed too deep in the casing layer. In experiments, no significant relationships between casing air filled porosity, water retention or bulk density and mushroom yield were found. A milled black peat and a less decomposed bulk extracted peat were found to be equally suitable for casing, in terms of mushroom yield and cleanness. Of a range of casing additives examined (at 50% by volume of the casing mixed with peat), the best material in terms of mushroom yield was recycled granulated rockwool, a waste product from the glasshouse industry.
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