Evaluation of growth and productivity of mushroom (<I>Pleurotus ostreatus</I>) under different organic substrate combinations

Mushrooms are fleshy saprophytic fungi noted for their health, nutritional and economic benefits. Recent studies have revealed the ability of Pleurotus mushroom to grow on agricultural wastes within a short period of time. In Cameroon, the technological knowledge on the use of organic waste materials as substrates for mushroom production still remains under exploited. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different organic substrate combinations on the growth and yield of Pleurotus ostreatus. A completely randomized design was laid out with four treatments and four replications, giving a total of 16 treatments. The treatments consisted of T1 (sawdust/rice bran/corn flour), T2 (sawdust/corncobs/rice bran/corn flour), T3 (palm cones/rice bran/corn flour) and T4 (elephant grass straw/rice bran/corn flour). Results obtained revealed that growth and yield of P. ostreatus depends largely on the type of substrate combination used. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were recorded in growth parameters among treatments. The highest mean height (19.5 cm), diameter of pileus (29 cm) and mean weight of individual fruiting bodies (75.6 g) were recorded in T2. The highest biological yield was also due to T2 which was significantly (p < 0.05) different from T3 and T4 but not T1. The combination of sawdust + corn cobs + rice bran + corn flour showed a suitable substrate for the cultivation of P. ostreatus and therefore can be recommended to local communities in the Northwest region of Cameroon where large volumes of agricultural wastes such as sawdust and corncobs are still highly under-utilized.