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Fate of weed seeds in spent mushroom compost following commercial mushroom production

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 August 2019

Kurt M. Vollmer Open the ORCID record for Kurt M. Vollmer [Opens in a new window]  and
Mark J. VanGessel
Kurt M. Vollmer*
Affiliation:
Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Delaware, Georgetown, DE, USA
Mark J. VanGessel
Affiliation:
Professor, Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Delaware, Georgetown, DE, USA
*
Author for correspondence: Kurt Vollmer, Department of Plant and Soil Science, University of Delaware, 16483 County Seat Highway, Georgetown, DE 19947. Email: kvollmer@udel.edu
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Abstract

Commercial mushroom producers grow several varieties of mushrooms on compost. Upon completion of the growing cycle, the spent mushroom compost is often sold as a soil amendment for both agricultural and homeowner use. Mushroom compost ingredients often come from fields infested with weeds, and in turn compost may spread unwanted weed seed. We conducted studies to assess the viability of weed seed following specific stages of the commercial mushroom production process. Weed seed was more likely to survive if the entire production process was not completed. However, no viable hairy vetch, Italian ryegrass, ivyleaf morningglory, Palmer amaranth, or velvetleaf remained at the end of the study. Although the seeds of most species were eliminated earlier in the composting process, ivyleaf morningglory required the complete process to eliminate 100% of the seed. These results indicate that spent mushroom compost is free of many weed species upon removal from mushroom houses and is unlikely to spread weed seed.

Keywords

William Johnson, Purdue UniversityHairy vetch, Vicia villosa RothItalian ryegrass, Lolium multiflorum Lam.ivyleaf morningglory, Ipomoea hederacea (L.) Jacq.Palmer amaranth, Amaranthus palmeri S. Wats.velvetleaf, Abutilon theophrasti Medik.mushroom, Agaricus bisporusMushroom productionmushroom bedscompost pasteurization
Type
Research Article
Information
Weed Technology , Volume 33 , Issue 6 , December 2019 , pp. 823 - 826
Copyright
© Weed Science Society of America, 2019 

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