Abstract:
This study was conducted to assess the effects of various agro-waste substrates on the production of oyster mushrooms (P. ostreatus and P. pulmonarius). The substrates utilised in this research were banana pseudo-stems (BP), macadamia husks (MH), macadamia nutshells (MnS) and maize stalks (MS) as control. The experimental design used in study 1 was a complete randomized design (CRD) for chemical constituents with 3 replications (rep) and 2 bags per rep. In contrast, the experimental design on study 2 was factorial in a complete randomized design comprised of mushroom growth and yield replicated thrice and bags duplicated per rep. Study 3 was nutritional compositions replicated three times, having 2 bags per rep. The maximum pH was observed on MS and the minimum was obtained on MnS. Severe infections by Trichoderma species were observed from PO Pleurotus ostreatus (PO) and Pleurotus pulmonarius (PP) on MnS, and as a result, no fruiting bodies were formed. The growth in terms of the number of days to colonization (DC) was delayed on MH when compared to others. The yield was significantly superior on MS 75.73 and 94.40 g during March to May 2019 in terms of fresh weight (FW). Moreover, the highest yield was observed on MS and BP at 120.19 and 92.63 g from P. ostreatus and P. pulmonarius respectively during June to August 2019. The superior biological efficiency) (BE) was attained from mushroom grown on MS during March to May 2019 whereas on MS and BP was during June to August 2019. The least FW and BE was observed from P. ostreatus and P. pulmonarius grown on MnS. The maximum crude protein (CP) was obtained from PO and PP on MH. Mushrooms are enriched in potassium (K), and the maximum amount was found on MS when compared to others from both Pleurotus species. Therefore, MS and MH were best selected to produce Oyster mushrooms.
