Manipulating Agaricus bisporus developmental patterns by passaging microbial communities in complex substrates
This research demonstrates that farmers can manipulate when button mushrooms fruit by selectively enriching certain bacteria in growing materials through a passaging technique. By mixing colonized substrate with fresh material multiple times, researchers found they could either speed up or slow down mushroom fruiting body formation. Although the total mushroom harvest remained the same, this approach offers potential for better timing of crop cycles and more sustainable cultivation practices.