GROWTH AND FRUITING BODY PRODUCTION OF Pleurotus ostreatus BASED ON SPAWN SUBSTRATES AND QUALITY

Spawn quality is an important factor that determines mushroom yield. This study compared different agro-wastes and cereals for Pleurotus ostreatus spawn production; evaluated the effects of the spawn substrates and spawning cycle on the growth and fruiting body (FB) production of P. ostreatus using different agro-wastes. Fully ramified spawns from agro-wastes were selected and inoculated into pasteurized corncob (200 g, CC) for FB production. For the spawning cycle experiment, spores (106 spores/ml) harvested from pure culture were inoculated into 100 g sterile CC to produce the first cycle (C1). Subsequent cycles (C2 to C5) were produced by inoculating 20 g of spawns from the previous cycle onto CC and were used for FB production. Data collected on growth and FB traits were subjected to ANOVA, and significant means were separated with Fisher’s-LSD (P < 0.05). Pleurotus ostreatus grown on CC had the highest ramification score and shortest days to complete ramification (DTCR). Spawn substrate did not affect the growth or yield of P. ostreatus. However, spawning cycle significantly influenced DTCR for spawns, growth, and yield components. From C1 to C5, DTCR, days to pinhead formation, and mature FB increased, while the weight of FB, biological efficiency, and number of flushes per bag decreased. Mushrooms from C1 spawns had the best growth traits, followed by C2, while the lowest was recorded at C5, indicating loss of spawn viability across cycles, with about 15-20% loss in WFB from C1 to C5. This study reveals the impact of spawn quality on mushroom cultivation.