Productivity and nutritional composition of five oyster mushroom (Pleurotus) varieties on sawdust-based substrate

Oyster mushrooms ( Pleurotus spp.) are widely cultivated edible fungi valued for their nutritional quality and economic potential, yet comparative performance data across varieties grown under identical substrate conditions remain limited. An experiment was conducted at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, and the Mushroom Development Institute (MDI), Savar, Bangladesh, from July to December 2017 to evaluate biological yield, economic yield, dry yield, biological efficiency, proximate composition, and mineral content of five oyster mushroom varieties cultivated on a standardized sawdust-based substrate packed at 500 g substrate per bag. The varieties evaluated were Pleurotus ostreatus (PO₂), P. ostreatus (Florida), P. ostreatus (HK51), P. sajor-caju (PSC), and P. sajor-caju (Grey), cultivated on sawdust substrate supplemented with 30% wheat bran and 1% lime. A Randomized Complete Block Design with five treatments and three replications was employed. Biological yield, economic yield, dry yield, biological efficiency, proximate composition, and mineral content were measured using standard analytical procedures. Pleurotus ostreatus (PO₂) produced the highest biological yield (271.52 g packet⁻¹), economic yield (269.24 g packet⁻¹), biological efficiency (155.15%), and benefit-cost ratio (3.59). P. ostreatus (Florida) recorded the highest iron (42.55 mg 100 g⁻¹), zinc (27.65 mg 100 g⁻¹), ash (14.00%), and selenium (6.77 mg 100 g⁻¹). P. ostreatus (HK51) contained the highest lipid (4.25%), crude fiber (20.25%), and cobalt (22.40 mg 100 g⁻¹), while P. sajor-caju (PSC) showed the highest mycelium running rate (0.70 cm day⁻¹), carbohydrate (45.36%), calcium (31.98 mg 100 g⁻¹), and magnesium (19.85 mg 100 g⁻¹). The highest protein (30.11%), potassium (1.28%), and nitrogen (4.16%) were recorded in P. sajor-caju (Grey). These findings demonstrate that P. ostreatus (PO₂) is the most productive variety for commercial cultivation on sawdust-based substrate, whereas P. sajor-caju (Grey) may be preferred where high dietary protein yield is the primary objective.