Influence of substrates on fructification of oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) strain NS-16

Abstract

Due to an increased production of oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus), more and more attention is being paid to factors affecting its yield. One of the most important factors is the finding of the best substrate for each individual strain. In 1992 and 1993, at the Vegetables Department of the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops in Novi Sad, several substrates were studied under laboratory conditions in order to determine the most suitable one for strain NS-16 in terms of incubation and fructification. The substrates included: wheat straw, soybean straw, maize stalks, sunflower husks, wheat straw + sunflower husks, soybean straw + sunflower husks and maize stalks + sunflower husks. Incubation on combination substrates was one to two days shorter than on pure substrates. The highest yield - 21.48% - was achieved using a soybean straw substrate and the lowest -16.04% - with a sunflower husk one. Wheat straw + sunflower husks and maize stalks + sunflower husks gave 8% higher yields than pure substrates.