Abstract
Mushrooms consumption has generated interest in man from early civilization. Mushrooms have a unique texture and flavour that are not found in other food crops. In addition, mushrooms cultivating is a promising new industry, with many new businesses developing every year. Cultivation of saprophytic edible mushrooms may be the currently economical biotechnology for lingo-cellulose organic waste recycling that combines the production of protein rich food with the reduction of environmental pollution. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to assess the growth of Pleurotus ostreatus on the Grevillea leaves of solid waste disposal in order to reduce environmental pollution by bioconversion of this waste into health food. Grevillea leaves were good substrate for oyster mushroom cultivation. The fruit bodies produced on this substrate were large in size and many in number. Therefore, cultivation of oyster mushrooms on this substrate can contribute to solving the food supply scarcity and quality problem beside removing solid waste pollutant from the environment. Key words: Fruit body, Grevillea robusta, mushroom cultivation, Pleurotus ostreatus, spawn.
Highlights
The word mushroom is used in all part of world to describe the fruiting bodies of saprophytic, mycorrhizal and parasites fungi, belonging to the order of Basidiomycetes or Ascomycetes
Oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) are the easiest and least expensive commercial mushrooms to grow because they are well known for conversion of crop residues to food protein (Banik and Nandi, 2004)
Oyster mushroom is an edible mushroom having excellent fragrant and taste and its cultivation on crop residues is considered as potential source of income, an alternative food production, provision of employment, and for recycling of agricultural wastes
Summary
The word mushroom is used in all part of world to describe the fruiting bodies of saprophytic, mycorrhizal and parasites fungi, belonging to the order of Basidiomycetes or Ascomycetes. Oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) are the easiest and least expensive commercial mushrooms to grow because they are well known for conversion of crop residues to food protein (Banik and Nandi, 2004). Oyster mushroom is an edible mushroom having excellent fragrant and taste and its cultivation on crop residues is considered as potential source of income, an alternative food production, provision of employment, and for recycling of agricultural wastes. The cultivation of edible mushrooms is an alternative biotech which is fast, environmentally friendly and feasible to recycle organic by-products from agribusiness into high nutritional and medicinal quality food both with respect to the amount of protein or minerals and selected substances with medicinal and pharmacological properties, for example the presence of β-glucans like lentinan, and it can contribute significantly to food for humans. The most cultivated mushrooms in the world are Agaricus bisporus (Champignon or button mushroom), Lentinula edodes (Shiitake) and P. ostreatus (oyster mushroom) because of its oyster like shape and other
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