Evaluation of the effects of the combination of NPK fertilizer, cow dung, humus soil and poultry droppings with sawdust on the number of days to primordia formation, maturity and harvest of Pleurotus ostreatus

Abstract

This study on the effects of combination of NPK fertilizer, cowdung, humus soil and poultry droppings with sawdust on the number of days to primordia formation, maturity and harvest of P. ostreatus was carried out in the Department of Plant Science and Biotechnology, Imo State University, Owerri. The objectives of the study were to identify the most suitable substrate combination in the determination of the number of days to the formation of primordia, maturity and harvest of P. ostreatus. Seventeen (17) treatments were laid out in completely randomized design (CRD). The data collected were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and means were separated by Fisher's least significant difference (LSD). From the experiment, treatments T6, T0, T8, T1, T3, T4, T7 and T2 formed primordia in 49, 37.67, 35.67, 34.67, 34, 28, 26.33 and 17 days, respectively. The result further revealed the mean days for maturity and harvesting of P. ostreatus which were 52 days in T6 (400g sawdust + 100 g humus soil) followed by 37.67 days in T0 (sawdust alone), 35.67 days in T8 (300g sawdust + 200 g humus soil), 34.67 days in T1 (450 g sawdust + 50 g cow dung), 34 days in T3 (300g sawdust + 200 g cow dung), 28 days in T4 (300 g sawdust + 200 g cow dung), 26.33 days in T7 (350 g sawdust + 150 g humus soil) and 17 days in treatment two (T2) (400g sawdust + 100 g cow dung). The study further reveals a significant difference between the treatments and the control at 5% probability (P = 0.05). Key words: Pleurotus ostreatus, primordia formation, maturity, harvest, substrates.