Growth, Yield and Nutritional Quality of Pleurotus pulmonarius and Pleurotus ostreatus, Grown on Different Substrates Amended with Wheat Bran

Pleurotus species (oyster mushroom) cultivation is receiving global attention owing to their cheap labour requirements and nutritional/health benefits. In this study, 10 g of Pleurotus pulmonarius and Pleurotus ostreatus each were cultivated on 400 g of sugarcane bagasse and cotton waste individually. Each substrate was supplemented with wheat bran separately at varying compositions (0%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% w/w) in triplicate and incubated at 28 ± 2°C for 35 days. After incubation, the mushroom growth parameters and qualities (yields, minerals, and proximate composition) were evaluated. Overall, P. pulmonarius cultivated on sugarcane bagasse with wheat bran additives, irrespective of percentage concentration, had better mushroom quality/size, yields, biological efficiency, mineral content, and proximate composition than P. ostreatus. P. ostreatus cultivated on cotton waste performed best compared to P. pulmonarius at flush 1 (P ≤ 0.05). Also, relative low calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus contents were observed on both substrates but were significantly rich in potassium (1.32 – 6.817%) and protein (26.60 – 30.46%) contents. Thus, this study will guide farmers in selecting mushroom strains, substrates and percentage additives for a healthy and vigorous mushroom.