Application of IES Pulsed Power Generator for Mushroom Cultivation

Summary form only given. Pulsed high voltage was applied to logs for mushroom culturing to clarify an effect of pulse high-voltage on the mushroom growth. Inductive energy storage system was employed to realize a portable compact pulsed power generator. Copper thin wire was used as opening switch to interrupt large circuit current in short time. The wire had the dimension of 0.03 mmdeg diameter and 6 cm length. The primary energy storage capacitor of 0.22 muF was charged up to 14 kV. The voltage was multiplied using secondary energy storage inductor as the same manner with surge voltages of a transformer. The output voltage of the pulsed power generator was 120 kV with 100 ns in pulse width. This 120 kV high-voltage pulse was applied to 90 cm length logs inoculated nameko fungus on October of 2006. The fifteen logs was applied the pulsed voltage and was cultivated for a month. As a result of the experiment, total weight of nameko mushrooms in case of pulsed high voltage applying was 6.3 kg and this value was nearly 1.5 times larger than 4.3 kg without high-voltage pulse. The amount yield of nameko mushrooms of each logs increases with applying pulse high-voltage.