Characterization and yield performance of spawn prepared from Hypsizygus ulmarius (Bull.) Redhead and some Pleurotus species (Agaricomycetes)

Abstract

Edible mushrooms are gaining popularity for their rich nutrition, bioactive compounds and global accessibility. Mushroom spawn, is crucial for successful mushroom growth, impacting yield and quality. Therefore, the study was undertaken to prepare and characterise quality spawn of six mushroom species viz., Hypsizygus ulmarius, Pleurotus sajor-caju, P. ostreatus, P. eous, P. eryngii and P. pulmonarius on wheat grains (variety DBW 303, Karan Vaishnavi). The results revealed that HU-01/22 spawn run took the shortest (10.33 d) and PE-01/22 the longest (14.00 d) time. The colour of fresh mushroom spawn varied from white to absolute white and mycelial growth was fluffy, floccose, thin and thick. The maximum (44.37 mm) mean linear growth was recorded in HU-01/22, while it was minimum (30.04 mm) in PE-01/22 after 10 days of incubation. The mean maximum (0.38 mm/h) growth rate was in HU-01/22, followed by PP-9-02-01/22 (0.35 mm/h) and PE-01/22 (0.28 mm/h). The colorimetric evaluation revealed L* values ranging from 56.46 to 69.99, a* values from −0.04 to 0.24 and b* values from 3.20 to 8.22. The ΔL* ranged from −28.43 to −24.37, Δa* from −0.06 to 0.22 and Δb* from −3.05 to 1.97, while ΔE ranged from 24.54 to 28.59. The colour intensity of spawn mycelia of different test species varied between 3.20 and 8.21 and whiteness index values ranged between 35.21 and 54.88. Further, it was observed that when the prepared spawn was evaluated for yield attributes and biological efficiency, among the different test species, HU-01/22 gave the highest yield (775.60 g/0.6 Kg dry substrate) having 129.26 percent biological efficiency.