ABSTRACT

 Three different kinds of waste materials, namely rice straw, lawn mowings and waste paper were used individually for the cultivation of Pleurotus sajor-caju (Fr) Singer. Their effects on the fruitbody yield were investigated, in order to evaluate how waste materials could be converted into edible mushrooms and to find out the best substrate for the cultivation of Pleurotus sajor-caju. Cultivation studies were carried out in polyethylene bags eollta n I ng 1kg of wet substrate and 5% spawn in a mushroom culture room designed for spawn run and cropping. Among the substrates used, lawn mowings produced significantly the most numerous fruitbodies (13.25), while rice straw got the heaviest weight (134.22g) when compared with lawn mowings (104.82g) and waste paper (6.38) (pO.05). For the phytochemical analysis carried out, there are significant differences among the phytochemical constituents of rice straw and lawn mowings. The phenol of the fruitbodies from lawn rnowings (0.07%) was significantly higher than the phenol compounds found in the fruitbodies of rice straw (0.04) (pO.05) but there were significant differences among other proximate compositions of the fruitbodies of rice straw and lawn mowings. The rice straw which was found to be the best substrate for the cultivation of Pleurotus sajor—caju was subsequently supplemented with some lime materials like gypsum (CaSO4), chalk (CaCO3) and local kitchen ash. There was an increase of the yield of the rice straw substrate supplemented with the local kitchen ash (52.80g) compared to the yield from rice straw substrate alone 3.S3g) (p<.U.U5).1'l1ese findings showed that rice straw and lawn mowings were suitable aste iutuleliuls lot ilu cultivation of the mushroom Pleurotus sajor-caju and that local kitchen ash could be used as an additive to improve the yield of fruitbodies.