Skip to content
Technical Kisanखेती, तकनीक के साथ
ENहिं
MushroomRabiSpawn (classic strain)Updated 23 September 2026

U-3 (Button Mushroom)

The historical base strain of white button mushroom — almost every commercial white button strain grown worldwide today, including most Indian ones, traces back to U-3, making it the closest thing this crop has to a genuine "foundation" variety.

SeasonRabi
Maturity period6–7 weeks to first flush (after 2–3 weeks of composting)
Expected yield10–14 kg fresh mushroom/sq.ft of compost bed
Suitable soilGrown on a composted wheat-straw/poultry-manure/gypsum substrate, not soil

Quick facts

Crop
Mushroom
Type
Spawn (classic strain)
Season
Rabi
Maturity period
6–7 weeks to first flush (after 2–3 weeks of composting)
Expected yield
10–14 kg fresh mushroom/sq.ft of compost bed
Suitable soil
Grown on a composted wheat-straw/poultry-manure/gypsum substrate, not soil
Release
The historical foundation strain of commercial Agaricus bisporus cultivation, not a recent Indian institute release

About this variety

U-3 is the original commercial white button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) strain from which the great majority of strains grown around the world — and in India — were selected or hybridised. It remains in cultivation in its own right, valued for its familiarity, documented behaviour and dependable cropping on a standard wheat-straw compost. Like all button mushroom, it is spawned into pasteurised, composted substrate rather than sown as true seed.

Key characteristics

    Plant typeSpawn (classic strain)
    Maturity6–7 weeks to first flush (after 2–3 weeks of composting)
    Yield potential10–14 kg fresh mushroom/sq.ft of compost bed
    Disease resistanceNo special disease resistance claimed; standard hygiene practice applies
    SoilGrown on a composted wheat-straw/poultry-manure/gypsum substrate, not soil
    SeasonRabi

Yield & maturity

Maturity period

6–7 weeks to first flush (after 2–3 weeks of composting)

Expected yield

10–14 kg fresh mushroom/sq.ft of compost bed

Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.

Pest & disease considerations

Major diseases

  • No special disease resistance claimed; standard hygiene practice applies

Advantages & considerations

Why farmers may choose it

  • Extremely well documented behaviour — decades of cultivation experience to draw on
  • Dependable cropping on standard compost under normal Indian button-mushroom room conditions

Things to consider

  • Newer hybrid strains such as NBS-1 offer improved browning resistance that U-3 itself does not
  • Needs the same composting infrastructure and cool room as any button mushroom strain — not a low-equipment starter crop

Suitable regions

States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.

  • Himachal Pradesh
  • Punjab
  • Haryana
  • Uttar Pradesh
  • Tamil Nadu