How to grow tiger milk mushroom in Hainan
Relying on the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences expert team more than ten years of scientific research accumulation, Hainan Tiger milk mushroom relying on the ecological advantages of the tropical rainforest to achieve large-scale planting, 2024 the province to promote the area of more than 15,000 acres of fungus kernel production of 1,500 pounds / acres, to become a new benchmark of the forest economy. As a representative of Hainan’s local medicinal herbs, its strain selection by the national laboratory certification, polysaccharide content than other subspecies to enhance 25%, clinical verification shows that the immune-active components of international standards, followed by a solution to the introduction of how to grow tiger milk mushroom in hainan.
Tiger milk mushroom is a kind of fungus with both medicinal and edible values, rich in polysaccharides, terpenoids, fatty acids, proteins and other nutrients, especially suitable for stewing flavorful medicinal soup. It has multiple biological activities such as antioxidant, anticancer, inhibition of cell proliferation, enhancement of immune activity, etc. It is clinically used in the adjuvant treatment of fever, whooping cough, asthma, cancer and peptic ulcer.
This strain is mainly distributed in the tropical rainforest climate zone, including Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea and other Southeast Asian and Pacific island countries. In mainland China, only the native Tiger milk mushroom strain has been found in Hainan. Relying on the unique tropical ecological conditions, Hainan has become the largest and only “semi-wild biochemical” cultivation base of Tiger milk mushroom in China.
In recent years, the Tiger milk mushroom industry in Hainan has been effectively promoting the revitalization of rural areas and the special economy through the understory complex management mode. In this paper, we will analyze the composition of the industry chain from strain cultivation, forest cultivation, primary processing, product development and R&D of high value-added products, and discuss the path of mining the value of the industry and the development prospect with typical cases.
how to grow tiger milk mushroom Strain cultivation: the core of industrial technology
Strain cultivation and optimal selection is the technical foundation of Hainan Tiger milk mushroom industry, which is the result of the wisdom of the scientific research team. 2001, a team of pharmacy experts from Hainan Medical College went deep into the tropical rainforest to carry out systematic scientific research, and laid the foundation of research through specimen collection and domestication and cultivation. In the early days of the research funds and equipment resources are extremely scarce conditions, the researchers still insisted on promoting basic research work.
The key technological breakthrough occurred in 2014, when a research team on edible mushrooms at the Institute of Environment and Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, discovered an endemic subspecies of Tiger milk mushroom in Hainan, which was then systematically cultivated and domesticated in the laboratory. Tiger milk mushroom endemic subspecies was discovered in Hainan, and systematic research on laboratory breeding and domestication was initiated immediately.
An important milestone was the successful selection and breeding of Tiger milk mushroom strain 1. The research team used a wild strain from Hainan as the mother strain, and obtained an optimized strain after isolation and purification, as well as strict cultivation and screening. The strain was deposited on June 2, 2021 in the Chinese Culture Collection Center for Typical Cultures (CCTCC). The actual cultivation data show that Strain No.1 has significant advantages: the growth cycle is shortened by 30%, the nucleus formation efficiency is improved; the bioconversion rate is increased to an industry-leading level; and the content of the key active ingredient, tiger lactic polysaccharide, is increased by 25%, which significantly enhances its pharmacological value. (Technical source: X-technology network patent literature)
In recent years, Hainan strain R&D has continued to make breakthroughs, and new strains with strong resistance, high and stable yield have been cultivated through biotechnology innovation. Typical cases such as a biotechnology enterprise and the Thermal Sciences Academy of cooperation in the strain improvement program, successfully developed exclusive strains adapted to the ecology of rubber forests. The head of the enterprise emphasized: “High-quality strains are the cornerstone for guaranteeing standardized production and commercial viability of the industry.”
how to grow tiger milk mushroom: synergizing ecology and economy
Hainan’s rich rubber forests provide an ideal semi-wild growing environment for Tiger milk mushroom. The shading effect of the rubber forest canopy and the humus-rich soil substrate accurately restore the original habitat characteristics of this species.
The understory cultivation system has strict technical specifications: site selection should meet the requirements of gentle terrain, good drainage and other micro-environmental requirements, and generally adopt the method of burying mushroom bags in the soil to maintain a reasonable cultivation density. Take the demonstration base in Baisha County, Hainan as an example, each acre of forest land can be deployed 3,000 bags of fungi, and the production cost of a single bag of fungi is controlled in the range of 5-6 yuan.
This “forest fungus composite system” realizes double benefits: on the ecological level, cultivation residues are transformed into organic fertilizer for rubber trees after treatment, forming a material recycling system; on the economic level, it significantly improves the efficiency of land output. Danzhou Dacheng Township, the annual double-season cultivation mode, the first season mu input of 20,000 yuan, fresh produce output of 1,500 pounds (unit price of 20 yuan / catty), mu output value exceeded 30,000 yuan. Baisha County through the “government-led + enterprise-led + collective economic organizations to participate in the” tripartite collaboration model, annual income of more than 17 million yuan. Currently, the province’s extension area has reached 15,000 mu, simultaneously promoting local employment and regional economic development.
How to Grow Tiger Milk Mushroom Industry Talent Cultivation: Yinggen Township Specialized Training Facts
On March 11, 2025, in order to promote the forest economy innovation and demonstration project, Yinggen Township held Tiger milk mushroom cultivation technology certification training. The training attracted 40 practitioners and adopted the immersive teaching of “theoretical lectures + on-site practice”, with expert Wu Kwai Liu systematically analyzing the cultivation technology specifications, cost-benefit models and risk management strategies to help standardize the industry.
how to grow tiger milk mushroom in hainan Through the composite planting model of “rubber + mushroom”, the Tiger milk mushroom industry in Hainan has realized a win-win situation in terms of ecological cycle and economic benefits. According to the 2025 government report, the industry will drive more than 100 households to increase their income and export their products to Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia, providing a sustainable solution for rural revitalization.
