Evaluation of Substrate Impact on Pleurotus Ostreatus Growth

Introduction

Mushrooms are a vital part of the human diet, with over 2000 edible species. Some mushrooms are toxic, but commercially grown varieties, like the Oyster mushroom, are popular. Flank, a German, pioneered the cultivation of oyster mushrooms in 1917. These mushrooms, known for thriving on decomposing wood, are easy to grow (Staments, 2000) [18] . Wild edible mushrooms like Pleurotus, grown worldwide, have a sweet taste, anise aroma, tender flesh, mild flavor, and velvety texture (Sande et al., 2019) [16] . Pleurotus, a fungus genus, thrives in temperate and tropical forests across the Northern Hemisphere, including North America, Europe, Eastern Asia, the Middle East, Mexico, and the Southern Hemisphere (Tura et al., 2016) [19] . Around 1.5 million fungi species worldwide thrive in diverse environments interacting with other organisms through various relationships. Fungi rely on external sources for carbon, nutrients, and energy (Philippoussis et al., 2001; Perotto et al., 2013; Vajna et al., 2019) [15,14,20] . Fungi decompose dead matter, converting carbon and nutrients into plant-friendly forms (Brundrett, 2004) [2] . Fungi play a vital role in ecosystems. Research aims to reduce disease harm in oyster mushroom cultivation, while utilizing their nutritional benefits for health. Oyster mushrooms are rich in vitamins and folic acid, aiding in malnutrition treatment (Wrzosek et al., 2017; Zervakis et al., 2018) [21,22] . They can quiet muscles, stop vessel leaks, strengthen veins, and calm tendons, aiding weight loss (Chang and Miles, 2004; Chai et al., 2021) [4,3] . Oyster mushrooms, particularly Pleurotus ostreatus, have been extensively studied for their hepatoprotective properties during the past 20 years (Fernandez-Fueyo et al., 2016) [5] . Studies show that a 5% Pleurotus ostreatus supplement reduces Wister rats' cholesterol and boosts antioxidant enzymes in the liver, hinting at oyster mushrooms' potential health benefits (Kang et al., 2017; Kertesz, and Thai, 2018) [6,7] . Consuming Pleurotus ostreatus may reduce cholesterol by inhibiting enzyme activity, enhancing bile production, catabolizing cholesterol, and increasing excretion through faceses (Kurt et al., 2010; Kurtzman, 2010) [8,9] . In this scenario, antioxidants like reduced glutathione aid bile flow disrupted by oxidative stress from hypercholesterolemia. Oyster mushrooms lower cholesterol by reducing absorption, synthesis and enhancing elimination, offering health benefits by controlling lipids, glucose, and antioxidants (Lindahl and Tunlid, 2015; Li and Shah, 2016) [11,10] . The oyster mushroom, known as Dhingri in India, scientifically named Pleurotus sp., was described in 1975 by Dutch naturalist Nikolaus Joseph Freiherr von Jacquin.

Oyster mushrooms have various stalk types and are rich in essential nutrients. They can be grown using agricultural residues, effectively recycling waste into food (Philippoussis et al., 2001) [15] . Mushrooms are a highprotein, tasty food. Over the last ten years, their output in the United States has steadily increased (Olivieri et al., 2006) [13] . Oyster mushrooms are successfully farmed and considered a delicacy, with researchers studying their cultivation on different lignocellulos materials (Bisaria et al., 1987; Zhang et al., 2002; Satpal et al., 2017) [1,23,17] . The mushrooms had a protein content of 26.3-36.7%. Detailed analysis of straw composition during mushroom growth is lacking. Previous research suggests P. major-cajun might fix nitrogen (Muswati et al., 2021) [12] . Oyster mushrooms are highly nutritious and possess medicinal properties due to bioactive compounds. They offer various health benefits, including ant diabetic, antioxidant, and anticancer effects. Growing oyster mushrooms involves spawn and substrate preparation, with different materials used to enhance productivity sustainably (Mandeel et al., 2005; Muswati et al., 2021) [12] . Cultivating this mushroom can transform agricultural wastes into nutritious products, aiding sustainable agriculture. Pleurotus ostreatus is rich in bioactive compounds, showing potential for medicinal benefits (Sande et al., 2019) [16] . Current study aims to optimize Pleurotus ostreatus cultivation by exploring various factors such as substrates, nitrogen sources, and bioactive compounds, crucial for enhancing its growth and utility in food, biotechnology, and medicine.

Materials and Methods

The research experiment of the evaluation of substrates on Pleurotus ostreatus growth was conducted at Mushroom Lab, Department of Plant Pathology, Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology, India in 2021-22 and 2022-23. Details of materials, techniques, and procedures were followed. Ayodhya, in Eastern Uttar Pradesh, has a sub-tropical climate with latitude of 26.47° N, longitude of 82.12° E, and altitude of 113 m above sea level. Kumarganj receives around 1000.37 mm annual precipitation. Summers are hot from April to mid-July with occasional showers. Data on temperature, humidity, rainfall, sunshine, and wind speed were collected from the meteorological observatory at university campus during mushroom cropping.

Results and Discussion

A 70-100 gauge polythene bag (35 cm x 45 cm) was used for cultivating mushrooms. Each bag was filled with 1 kg of dry straw from various substrates. Pasteurization was done using autoclaving with 1.5 kg vapor pressure or 15 lbs/sq inch for 15-20 minutes. Spawn was added at 2% of wet straw, taking 20 days to complete the spawn run at 24±2 °C. Pinheads appeared within 3 days of opening bags, ready for harvest in 2-3 days. After harvesting, beds were kept at 24 +2 °C with over 85% humidity. Second and third crops were harvested after 7-10 days each. Observations on mushroom aspects were noted in different treatments.

Pileus diameter

The combined data from Rabi's studies in 2021-22 and 2022-23 showed significant variations in pileus diameter of P. ostreatus across different substrates (Table 1, 2 &3). T 8 had the largest pileus diameter in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd picks (8.275 cm, 8.278 cm, 8.547 cm), followed by T 5 , T 7 , T 1 , T 9 , T 2 , T 4 , T 3 , and the smallest in T 6 (5.88 cm, 5.91 cm, 6.17 cm). Similarly, Tesfay et al (2020) found that the best results were with a mix of 50% cornstalk and 25% wheat bran added to waste paper, leading to the highest weight, pileus diameter, yield, and BE. Conversely, using only waste paper resulted in the lowest BE.

Number of fruiting body

The fruiting bodies were most abundant in T 8 , followed by T 5 , T

Days of spawn run

The data in table 11 shows that spawn run days varied across treatments, with T 9 having the longest (38.87) and T 6 the shortest (31.25) (Pathmashini, 2008). Kurakkan spawn outperformed maize, sorghum, and paddy in spawn running, pinhead and fruit body formation, and overall yield. Kurakkan spawn excelled with a spawn run of 21±1 days and pinhead formation in 35±1 days, yielding 55.37±0.67 g with 30.76% fresh mushroom yield. 6.17 6.12 6.14

Days of cropping period

Conclusion

The pooled data revealed that in T 8 , P. ostreatus had the longest pileus length (6.51 cm, 7.14 cm, and 6.70 cm) after each harvesting cycle. T 8 also yielded the highest pileus weight (442.37 gm, 423.5 gm, and 427.62 gm) compared to other treatments. Additionally, T 8 produced the most fruiting bodies (13.75) across both years, with T 5 and T 7 following closely behind. The stipe weight of different Pleurotus species has been influenced by different substrates. The stipe weight of P. florida was maximum on different substrates. Among the substrate maximum stipe weight was noticed with paddy straw. The results of the present investigations on stipe growth have clearly indicated that paddy straw helped P. florida to show maximum stipe growth. Analysis of pooled data revealed: T 9 had the longest spawn run day at 38.87, followed by T 5 , T 7 , T 1 , T 9 , T 2 , T 4 , and T 3 . T 8 had the longest cropping days in 2021-22 and 2022-23 at 31.62, followed by T 5 , T 7 , T 1 , T 9 , T 2 , T 4 , and T 3 . T 6 had the shortest cropping period at 15.87. Oyster mushroom harvesting occurs in three to five days after first mushrooms observed. Data from two pooled seasons (2021-22 and 2022-23) show that the shortest time to first harvest was in T (39.0 days), followed by T 5 (40.5), T 7 (42.37), T 1 (42.38), T 9 (45.75), T 2 (47.75), T 4 (48.12), and T 3 (52.12).

References

1. Bisaria R, Madan M, Bisaria VS. Biological efficiency and nutritive value of Pleurotus sajor-caju cultivated on different agro-wastes. Biol Wastes. 1987;19(4):239255.
2. Brundrett M. Diversity and classification of mycorrhizal associations. Biol Rev. 2004;79:473-495.
3. Chai WY, Krishnan UG, Sabaratnam V, Tan JBL. Assessment of coffee waste in formulation of substrate for oyster mushrooms Pleurotus pulmonarius and Pleurotus floridanus. Future Foods. 2021;4:100075.
4. Chang ST, Miles PG. Mushrooms. Cultivation, Nutritional Value, Medicinal Effect and Environmental Impact. 2nd ed. Boca Raton: CRC Press; 2004.
5. Fernández-Fueyo E, Ruiz-Dueñas FJ, López-Lucendo MF, Pérez-Boada M, Rencoret J, Gutiérrez A, et al. A secretomic view of woody and non-woody lignocellulose degradation by Pleurotus ostreatus. Biotechnol Biofuels. 2016;9:1-18.
6. Kang SB, Oh HY, Kim JJ, Choi KS. Characteristics of spent coffee ground as a fuel and combustion test in a small boiler (6.5 kW). Renew Energy. 2017;113:12081214.
7. Kertesz MA, Thai M. Compost bacteria and fungi that influence growth and development of Agaricus bisporus and other commercial mushrooms. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2018;102:1639-1650.
8. Kurt S, Buyukalaca S. Yield performances and changes in enzyme activities of Pleurotus spp (P. ostreatus and P. sajor-caju) cultivated on different agricultural wastes. Bioresour Technol. 2010;101:3164-3169.
9. Kurtzman RH. The why and how of oyster mushroom cultivation: a worldwide perspective. In: Hacia un Desarrollo Sostenible del Sistema de ProducciónConsumo de los Hongos Comestibles y Medicinales en Latinoamérica: Avances y Perspectivas en el Siglo XXI. 2010;609-644.
10. Li S, Shah NP. Characterization, antioxidative and bifidogenic effects of polysaccharides from Pleurotus eryngii after heat treatments. Food Chem. 2016;197:240-249.
11. Lindahl BD, Tunlid A. Ectomycorrhizal fungi-potential organic matter decomposers, yet not saprotrophs. New Phytol. 2015;205:1443-1447.
12. Muswati C, Simango K, Tapfumaneyi L, Mutetwa M, Ngezimana W. The effects of different substrate combinations on growth and yield of oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus). Int J Agron. 2021;2021:1-10.
13. Olivieri G, Marzocchella A, Salatino P, Giardina P, Cennamo G, Sannia G. Olive mill wastewater remediation by means of Pleurotus ostreatus. Biochem Eng J. 2006;31(3):180-187.
14. Perotto S, Angelini P, Bianciotto V, Bonfante P, Girlanda M, Kull T, et al. Interactions of fungi with other organisms. Plant Biosyst. 2013;147:208-218.
15. Philippoussis A, Zervakis G, Diamantopoulou P. Bioconversion of agricultural lignocellulosic wastes through the cultivation of the edible mushrooms Agrocybe aegerita, Volvariella volvacea, and Pleurotus spp. World J Microbiol Biotechnol. 2001;17:191-200.
16. Sande D, de Oliveira GP, e Moura MAF, de Almeida Martins B, Lima MTNS, Takahashi JA. Edible mushrooms as a ubiquitous source of essential fatty acids. Food Res Int. 2019;125:108524.
17. Satpal S, Singh G, Siddharth RN, Kumar A, Pratap B, Bankoti P, Pandey RV. Effect of different substrates on the growth and yield of oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus djamor). Int J Agric Sci. 2017;ISSN:0975-3710.
18. Stamets P. Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms. California: Ten Speed Press; 2000.
19. Tura D, Wasser SP, Zmitrovich IV. Wood-inhabiting fungi: Applied aspects. In: Deshmukh SK, Misra JK, Tewari JP, Papp T, editors. Fungi: Applications and Management Strategies. CRC Press; 2016. p. 245-292.
20. Vajna B, Szili D, Nagy A, Márialigeti K. An improved sequence-aided TRFLP analysis of bacterial succession during oyster mushroom substrate preparation. Microb Ecol. 2019;64:702-713.
21. Wrzosek M, Ruszkiewicz-Michalska M, Sikora K. The plasticity of fungal interactions. Mycol Prog. 2017;16:101-108.
22. Zervakis GI, Moncalvo JM, Vilgalys R. Molecular phylogeny, biogeography and speciation of the mushroom species Pleurotus cystidiosus and allied taxa. Microbiology. 2018;150:715-726.
23. Zhang R, Li X, Fadel JG. Oyster mushroom cultivation with rice and wheat straw. Bioresour Technol. 2002;82(3):277-284.