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GROWTH,  DEVELOPMENT  AND  YIELD  OF  OYSTER MUSHROOM, PLEUROTUS OSTREATUS (JACQ. EX. FR.) KUMMER AS AFFECTED BY DIFFERENT SPAWN RATES

M.I. Bhatti¹, M.M. Jiskani^1*, K. H. Wagan¹, M.A. Pathan¹ and M.R. Magsi²

Abstract: The oyster mushroom, Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacq. ex. Fr.) Kummer was cultivated on wheat straw in polythene bags (containing 500 g wheat straw on dry weight basis per bag) using sorghum grain spawn at different rates. The spawning was done followed by boiling of substrate and sterilization of bags. The bags were kept in mushroom growing room at 25 to 35^oC with 80 to 100% humidity under regular white fluorescent light arranged by the tube lights in mushroom growing room (10'x14'x14'). The pinheads first appeared 32.33 days after spawning by using 70 g spawn rate per kg on substrate dry weight basis. The minimum period of 4.66 days after pinhead formation for maturation of fruiting bodies was recorded by using 60, 70, 80, 90 and 100 g spawn rate. The minimum period between flushes (6.33 days) was taken by using 20 g spawn rate. The maximum flushes (4.00) were harvested by using 70 g spawn rate. The maximum number of bunches per bag (7.66) were obtained by using 100 g spawn rate. The maximum number of fruiting bodies per bunch (7.30) was observed by using 70 g spawn rate. The maximum yield on fresh weight basis (45.4%) as well as on dry weight basis (4.63%) was also obtained by using 70 g of spawn rate per bag. The results were highly significant from each other. It is concluded that spawning at 70 g per kg on substrate dry weight basis found to be the best dose for obtaining early and high yielding crop of oyster mushroom, with minimum period for maturation of fruiting bodies, maximum number of flushes and fruiting bodies per bag.

¹Department of Plant Pathology, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam, Pakistan.

²Cotton Research Institute Sakrand, Sindh, Pakistan