EFFECT OF DIFFERENT SUBSTRATES AND THEIR COMBINATION ON THE YEILD OF OYSTER MUSHROOM (PLEUROTUS OSTREATUS)

Abstract

Of all the cultivated mushrooms that can grow all year round, Pleurotus has the species that is most developed commercially. They can use a variety of agricultural waste products to transform lignocellulose biomass into delicious, nutritious food. Using agricultural and agricultural waste as a substrate for cultivation of edible mushrooms is an effective and economical technology for turning these waste products into a food that is high in protein and a commercially valuable cash crop. Paddy straw, Wheat husk, and Maize cob were used as substrates in this study for the cultivation of Pleurotus ostreatus mushrooms. The data was analyzed on various aspects such as time required for colonization, time required for pinhead appearance, number of fruiting, and fresh weight of different treatments compared by One-way ANOVA using IBM SPSS Statistics version 29.0.1.0(171) and post hoc multiple comparison was done by Tukeys hsd at 5% level of significance to determine significance differences between the means of mushroom yields. Paddy straw (control) had the quickest colonization time (16.67days) compared to maize cob (20.33 days), but wheat husk (control) had the slowest (31.33 days). The shortest time for primordial formation was in Paddy straw (21.33 days), while the longest in Maize cob (29.67 days) and wheat husk (36.67 days) respectively. Paddy straw had the highest mean fruiting number (619.33), followed by wheat husk (196.67) and maize cob (66.33), respectively. Paddy straw (2519.5gm) was highest in three flushes than Wheat husk (775gm) and Maize cob (775gm) in two flushes. This study also proved that substrates such as wheat husk, maize cob, and paddy straw can be used to grow mushrooms.