Evaluation of Compost Prepared from Various Weeds and Agricultural Residues on the Productive and Morphological Characteristics of <i>Agaricus bisporus</i>

Abstract Crop residues and weeds are environmentally friendly natural resources when utilized correctly and optimally, such as in the preparation of fermented compost for production of Agaricus bisporus . This study was conducted to evaluate various types of compost prepared from wheat straw, okra residues, reed residues, and Alhagi (camelthorn) residues in terms of productive characteristics (average fruit body weights and biological efficiency) and morphological characteristics (stem length, stem diameter, cap diameter, and cap thickness) of the edible mushroom. The experiment was conducted in the farm of mushroom / Agriculture College, of Tikrit University, on November 22, 2022. The results showed that the Alhagi -based compost yielded the highest fruit body weight and biological efficiency for the first two flushes, reaching 1003.52 g/10 kg of compost and 38.97%, respectively. This was followed by the okra residue-based compost, which yielded 964.97 g/10 kg of compost and 37.47%, respectively. In contrast, the reed and wheat straw compost yielded fruit body weights of 949.41 g and 914.56 g/10 kg of compost, with biological efficiencies of 36.87% and 35.51%, respectively. Additionally, the results indicated that the wheat straw compost produced the longest stem length and largest stem diameter, measuring 2.00 cm and 1.53 cm, respectively. However, the Alhagi-based compost yielded the largest cap diameter, measuring 4.93 cm, while both the Alhagi and okra residue-based compost produced the highest cap thickness, measuring 1.4 cm each.