The growth environment and local conditions of Cordyceps sinensis

Cordyceps sinensis growth environment and conditions

Cordyceps sinensis has very limited resources due to its narrow distribution area, low natural parasitism rate and high requirements for living environment conditions. Nowadays, the ecological environment of the main production areas of Cordyceps sinensis is damaged by human beings, and a large amount of blind excavation has led to a decreasing amount of resources and a decline in output year by year. It is mainly distributed in Qinghai, Tibet, Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan.

Cordyceps growth conditions

Cordyceps sinensis is generally distributed in areas with an altitude of 3,000 to 5,000 meters. It likes cold weather and is resistant to moisture. It is suitable for planting in soil that is rich in organic matter, loose in texture, fertile, and has sufficient water.

Cordyceps growth temperature

Cordyceps sinensis has a strong adaptability to temperature, which is generally low at first and then high, but it would rather grow in low temperatures and cannot tolerate excessively high temperatures. The best temperature for mycelium growth is 12-18 degrees. The growth is slow at low temperatures, but there are fewer miscellaneous bacteria and the survival rate is high. It generally will not be frozen to death at minus 40 degrees, but will die above 40 degrees. In the later stage of fruiting body growth, an environment of 20-25 degrees needs to be provided.

Cordyceps sinensis growth process

1. In July and August, the most beautiful season on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, a small number of poor bat moth larvae encounter Cordyceps spores. Under suitable conditions, the fungal spores attached to the insect body will grow germ tubes, and then invade the body of the bat moth larvae to form fungal hyphae and sclerotia.

2. The fungal hyphae make full use of the organic matter in the larvae's body as nutrition, until all the nutrients are absorbed, leaving only a skin shell filled with hyphae. In the spring of the following year, the ice and snow on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau melted, and the hyphae formed fruiting bodies in the warm environment and emerged from the ground, and then grew into dark brown "grass", and the traditional Cordyceps sinensis was formed.

Cordyceps sinensis planting time and method

There are two sowing times for Cordyceps sinensis, namely March to May in spring and September to October in autumn. If planted in a greenhouse, it can be cultivated all year round and the growing period can be shortened.

Cordyceps sinensis cannot be cultivated on a large scale at present, because it requires extremely high costs to simulate its natural environment, so artificial cultivation is difficult. However, it can be domesticated by capturing larvae infected with bacterial liquid, washing them clean, putting fine sand at the bottom of the bottle, spraying a little water, placing the insect body on it, covering it with a layer of sand, and keeping the soil moist.