Seasonal variation of paddy straw mushroom performance under different microclimate environments

Maize is an important base crop in intensive irrigated cereal based cropping system because of its wider climatic acclimatization. In contrast, a certain microclimate is needed for commercial mushroom production. Favourable microclimatic condition that prevails in maize field created a greater opportunity to grow the warm loving Paddy Straw Mushroom “Volvariella volvacea” as intercrop. In this context, a comparative study was taken up at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University to determine the performance of paddy straw mushroom as intercrop under different microclimate created in irrigated maize and polyhouse during summer and kharif 2022. Study concluded that the microclimate variables during kharif season was more favourable for obtaining higher straw mushroom yield as maize intercrop, but the summer season was also an economically viable one. The study found that the most ideal limits of microclimate variables such as morning and afternoon temperature, morning and afternoon RH for paddy straw mushroom was 26 to 29oC, 29 to 33oC, 80 to 98 per cent and 66 to 88 per cent, respectively. The polyhouse showed its superiority in providing controlled favourable microclimate for paddy straw mushroom than the fluctuating microclimate under maize canopy, however the higher infrastructural investment in polyhouse farming is not affordable for the small and marginal farmers. The microclimate prevailed in between maize rows could support paddy straw mushroom intercropping as a viable system, which had Land Equivalent Ratio of more than 1.6 and double the time of Crop Equivalent Yield when compare to sole cropped maize.