Microbial diversity in Australian mushroom compost

Button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) are one of the most important horticultural crops in Australia. Button mushrooms grow on a composted substrate made from wheat straw, poultry manure and gypsum. The composting process is a microbially driven process that occurs in two phases, a short, uncontrolled partial fermentation step (Phase I), followed by temperature-controlled pasteurization and curing step (Phase II). Understanding the microbial community structure in mushroom compost may help producers grow mushrooms more efficiently.