Effect of different combinations of sawdust and wheat straw on sporophore production of Schizophyllum commune

Abstract

The experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of various combinations of sawdust and wheat straw on the production of Split Gill Mushroom (Schizophyllum commune). The observations were recorded for the duration of spawn run, days to first harvest, cropping period, number of fruiting bodies, stipe length (cm), pileus width (cm), yield (g/kg dry substrate) and biological efficiency. The highest yield (234.80 g/kg of dry substrate, with a biological efficiency of 23.48%) was observed when using 100% wheat straw significantly outperforming all other combinations. In contrast the lowest yield (137.40 g/kg of dry substrate with 13.47% B.E.) was recorded for the control which used 100% sawdust.