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Abstract
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Article Information:
Effects of Various Substrates on Growth and Yield of Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus)
Michael T. Masarirambi, Mpendulo B. Mamba and Diana M. Earnshaw
Corresponding Author: Michael T. Masarirambi
Submitted: 2011 Feb., 25
Accepted: 2011 March, 26
Published: |
Abstract:
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Mushrooms are increasingly becoming an important component of diets worldwide and it is of
paramount importance to choose appropriate substrates in a given place to grow them. The experiment was
conducted at the University of Swaziland, Faculty of Agriculture, in the Crop Production Department
Mushroom Laboratory. The objective was to determine the effects of some of the locally available substrate
materials on the growth and yield of oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus Jacq. Et Fr). Banana leaves,
sugarcane tops, common thatch grass (Hyparrhenia hirta) and cattle manure were milled, bagged and
autoclaved for 5 h at 120ºC, cooled and then inoculated with actively growing mushroom culture on sorghum
grain. The bags were incubated until mycelium had fully colonized the substrate and then taken to the cropping
house. Sugarcane tops had significantly (p<0.05) lower number of contaminated bags and in increasing order
of contamination followed by banana leaves, thatch grass and lastly kraal manure. Kraal manure in all bags was
contaminated and was subsequently discarded. There were significant (p<0.05) differences in total mushroom
yield, marketable yield, mushroom stalk length and mushroom cap diameter. Sugarcane tops produced the
highest total mushroom yield, marketable yield and mushroom cap diameter, followed in decreasing order by
banana leaves and thatch grass. However thatch grass produced the longest mushroom stalks followed in
decreasing order by banana leaves and lastly sugarcane tops. The experiment showed that, in decreasing order,
sugarcane tops, banana leaves and thatch grass can be used as one of the best locally available substrate for
mushroom production in Swaziland, for the growth and yield parameters measured.
Key words: Locally available substrate, mushroom cap diameter, Pleurotus ostreatus, yield, , ,
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Cite this Reference:
Michael T. Masarirambi, Mpendulo B. Mamba and Diana M. Earnshaw, . Effects of Various Substrates on Growth and Yield of Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus). Asian Journal of Agricultural Sciences, (4): 275-280.
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ISSN (Online): 2041-3890
ISSN (Print): 2041-3882 |
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