New study reveals surprising benefits of an unconventional farming technique — and it might change what's on your plate

Mushrooms are an incredibly healthy food source, but disease threatens mushroom crops yearly. A new study may have found a solution. 

According to a study published in Fungal Biology, something called "passaged casing" can reduce certain types of mushroom diseases. 

FreshCap explained: "A casing layer is able to provide a consistently humid environment at the interface of the substrate and the environment (where pins form), which can often make up for less-than-ideal environmental conditions." 

While farmers can use many things for casing layers, peat moss and vermiculite are the best.

The study put button mushrooms through 10 passaged cycles, which caused them to pin three days earlier — "pinning" is when the mycelium turns into fruiting bodies or mushrooms. 

While this process produced more asymptomatic mushrooms for blotch disease in three harvests, it produced fewer asymptomatic mushrooms for green mold disease. 

The study stated that this "demonstrates the potential for passaged casing to be used as material to study more sustainable mushroom production and disease management practices."

The study also noted that blotch and green mold are "commercially damaging diseases." 

If you aren't a mushroom fan, you may be surprised to learn that the mushroom market was worth "$50.3 billion in 2021 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.7% from 2022 to 2030," per Grand View Research. 

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A Lehigh University study found that mold and disease cause 10% to 15% of mushroom crops to be lost annually in the U.S., so it is essential to find a way to deal with diseases like blotch and green mold. 

If you like adding mushrooms to your salads, pasta, and other dishes, you can get great health benefits from them. According to UCLA Health, mushrooms can "decrease the risk of cancer," "lower sodium intake," "promote lower cholesterol," "protect brain health," "provide a source of vitamin D," "stimulate a healthier gut," and "support a healthy immune system." 

While some mushrooms are poisonous, many are crucial to the ecosystem. The U.N. Environment Programme estimates that there are about 100,000 mushroom species, with more yet to be identified. 

Mushrooms are fungi that help soil health and can absorb the polluting gases in the atmosphere. Some fungi species can cycle nutrients in the soil. 

Additionally, mushrooms are excellent for food security because they are nutritious and have many health benefits. In addition to the above, mushrooms contain vitamins B and C, fiber, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and protein. 

For vegetarians, mushrooms are excellent replacements for meat for plant-based diets. 

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