Screening of Substrates and Optimization of Formulations for Exogenous Nutrient Bags of Morchella sextelata (Black Morel)

Yan, Qi; Zhang, Weidong; Wang, Qi; Yang, Tonghui; Wang, Peng; Yu, Ya; Tan, Xiao; Kang, Xueping; Wen, Jiawei

doi:10.3390/horticulturae11070863

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Open AccessArticle

Screening of Substrates and Optimization of Formulations for Exogenous Nutrient Bags of Morchella sextelata (Black Morel)

by

Qi Yan

^1,†,

Weidong Zhang

^2,†,

Qi Wang

²,

Tonghui Yang

²,

Peng Wang

²,

Ya Yu

²,

Xiao Tan

²,

Xueping Kang

^2,* and

Jiawei Wen

^2,*

¹

College of Horticulture, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China

²

Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences (Northeast Agricultural Research Center of China), Changchun 130033, China

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

Horticulturae 2025, 11(7), 863; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11070863

Submission received: 6 June 2025 / Revised: 12 July 2025 / Accepted: 19 July 2025 / Published: 21 July 2025

(This article belongs to the Section Medicinals, Herbs, and Specialty Crops)

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Abstract

In the artificial cultivation of Morchella sextelata (Black Morel), exogenous nutrient bags (ENBs) commonly employ wheat grains as the primary substrate raw material. However, this approach is costly and runs counter to the “non-grain” development direction advocated by the edible mushroom industry. Under controlled field conditions, twelve self-made formulations were set up and compared with a conventional market formulation to comprehensively analyze their impacts on the agronomic traits, yield, soil physicochemical properties, and economic benefits of M. sextelata fruiting bodies. The research findings indicate that the nutrient bag formulations have a significant effect on soil available nutrients. Specifically, the contents of alkali-hydrolysable nitrogen (AN) and available potassium (AK) exhibit a significantly negative correlation with M. sextelata yield (r = −0.60, p < 0.05; r = −0.72, p < 0.01, respectively). Among all the treatment groups, the KY1 formulation (comprising 30% wheat grains, 5% rice bran, 60% corncobs, 2% rice husks, 1% lime, and 1% gypsum) achieved the highest yield of 915.13 kg per 667 m², which was 16.1% higher than that of the control group. The net economic benefit per unit area (667 m²) reached CNY 75,282.15, representing a 20.7% increase compared to the traditional wheat grains-based formulation. In conclusion, partially substituting wheat grains with rice bran in ENBs can not only reduce reliance on staple food resources but also enhance yield and economic efficiency. Due to the differences in cultivated strains and environmental conditions, the impact on morel yield is substantial; therefore, the results of this study need further validation through pilot trials.

Keywords: Morchella sextelata; exogenous nutrient bag (ENB); main agronomic trait; yield; soil physicochemical properties; economic benefit

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MDPI and ACS Style

Yan, Q.; Zhang, W.; Wang, Q.; Yang, T.; Wang, P.; Yu, Y.; Tan, X.; Kang, X.; Wen, J. Screening of Substrates and Optimization of Formulations for Exogenous Nutrient Bags of Morchella sextelata (Black Morel). Horticulturae 2025, 11, 863. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11070863

AMA Style

Yan Q, Zhang W, Wang Q, Yang T, Wang P, Yu Y, Tan X, Kang X, Wen J. Screening of Substrates and Optimization of Formulations for Exogenous Nutrient Bags of Morchella sextelata (Black Morel). Horticulturae. 2025; 11(7):863. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11070863

Chicago/Turabian Style

Yan, Qi, Weidong Zhang, Qi Wang, Tonghui Yang, Peng Wang, Ya Yu, Xiao Tan, Xueping Kang, and Jiawei Wen. 2025. "Screening of Substrates and Optimization of Formulations for Exogenous Nutrient Bags of Morchella sextelata (Black Morel)" Horticulturae 11, no. 7: 863. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11070863

APA Style

Yan, Q., Zhang, W., Wang, Q., Yang, T., Wang, P., Yu, Y., Tan, X., Kang, X., & Wen, J. (2025). Screening of Substrates and Optimization of Formulations for Exogenous Nutrient Bags of Morchella sextelata (Black Morel). Horticulturae, 11(7), 863. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11070863

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Screening of Substrates and Optimization of Formulations for Exogenous Nutrient Bags of Morchella sextelata (Black Morel)

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