Effects of Nutrient Sources and Environmental Factors on the Cultivation and Yield of Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus)

Abstract

Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) was cultivated on different carbohydrate substrates (millet, corn, rice and rye). Millet gave the highest mycelia yield while rye gave the lowest. Further growth on different concentrations of millet extract showed that 1.00 mg mL^-1 concentration of millet extract gave an optimum mycelia growth of 4.0 mg mL^-1. Cultivation of the mushroom on different nitrogen sources namely, lima beans extract, soya beans (Glycine max) and vigma species (brown beans) showed that soya beans (Glycine max) gave the highest mycelia yield while lima beans gave the lowest yield. Optimum mycelia yield was also achieved at pH 6.5. This study shows that given the right substrate and optimal environmental conditions, oyster mushroom can be mass-produced to the meet the nutritional requirement of the Nigerian populace.