Effect of different substrates on morphological characters and yield parameters of golden oyster (Pleurotus citrinopileatus) mushroom

The present investigation focuses on impact of different substrates including paddy straw, wheat straw, soybean straw, sugarcane bagasse, bajra straw, jowar straw, rajmah straw and spent button mushroom substrate on morphological characters such as colour, odour, stipe length, pileus diameter, stipe size, average fruit weight and number of fruits per kg dry substrate along with yield, biological efficiency. According to the obtained results, the pileus diameter, stipe length, and stipe size ranged from 4.65-6.46 cm, 2.21-4.39 cm, and 1.67-2.65 cm, respectively. Average fruit weight varied between 5.69-8.49 g, with the highest in Treatment T2 (wheat straw) 8.49 g, followed by T3 (soybean straw) 8.23 g and T5 (bajra straw) 7.84 g, while the lowest was in T4 (sugarcane bagasse) 5.69 g. Treatment T2 (wheats straw) also recorded the highest fruit count per bed (261.10), followed by T5 (227.33), T1 (204.33), and T3 (183.26), with the lowest in T4 (115.66). Total yield per kg dry substrate ranged from 621.03-932.17 g, highest in T2 (932.17 g/kg), followed by T5 (837.46 g/kg), T1 (829.45 g/kg), and T3 (747.11 g/kg), with the lowest in T4 (621.03 g/kg). Among all treatments, T2 (wheat straw) showed superior performance with the highest pileus size (6.46 cm), fruit weight (8.49 g), number of fruits per bed (261.10), and total yield (932.17 g/kg dry substrate) with highest biological efficiency (93.21%).