EFFECT OF LOW AND HIGH QUALITY COTTON WASTE ON YIELD OF OYSTER MUSHROOM (PLEUROTUS OSTREATUS)

Abstract

Pleurotus ostreatus Champ. Jura. Vosg. (strain-P3) was cultivated on high quality and low quality cotton waste to investigate its comparative performance regarding growth and yield. Treatments were comprised of different ratios of the substrate materials on weight/weight basis. A combination of low and high quality cotton waste as 50% (w/w) took a minimum of 29.5 days for mycelial growth completion and 7.50 days for primordial emergence after mycelial growth was completed. It produced a maximum number of primordia (43.75) and mature harvestable mushroom bodies (10.25). It took minimum duration 40 days for maturation of fruiting bodies from the day of spawning. It gave highest yield in 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd flushes of fresh mushroom (133.69 g, 110.28 g, 96.25 g, respectively). Total fresh (340.21 g) and dry weight (33.78 g) for this treatment was highest among all other treatments. Remaining treatments gave results inferior to the results of this treatment. Low quality cotton waste alone or in combination with high quality cotton waste can be utilized to cut cost of production to half and efficient recycling of this low quality material.