Abstract
Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi mushroom) is a medicinal mushroom which possesses numerous health benefits. With a view to popularize the cultivation of G. lucidum in Sri Lanka, a study was done to identify an appropriate substrate from local raw materials for its artificial cultivation in polypropylene bags. Sawdust of four woods viz. Rubber (Hevea brasiliensis), Mango (Mangifera indica), Jack (Artocarpus heterophyllus) and Lunumidella (Melia dubia) were used as substrates after mixing with other general ingredients. The mushroom was grown in 100% Rubber, 100% Mango, 100% Jack, 100% Lunumidella, 50% Rubber + 50% Mango, 50% Rubber + 50% Jack, and 50% Rubber + 50% Lunumidella sawdust combinations. The number of days taken for colonization and primordial formation, number of fruiting bodies per bag, yield per bag and Biological Efficiency (BE) were recorded. Substrates with Mango (100%), Rubber (100%), Rubber + Mango (50%:50%) and Rubber + Lunumidella (50%:50%) sawdust resulted in equally high yield per bag (49.3 g, 42.5 g, 45.7 g and 43.7 g, respectively) within 1 month after primordia formation, and higher BE of 5.4%, 5.1%, 5.3% and 5.7%, respectively. Higher predicted total yields for a duration of 3 months were resulted by 100% Mango sawdust (541.91 g/bag), Rubber + Mango sawdust (502.37 g/bag), and Rubber + Lunumidella sawdust (480.92 g/bag), followed by Rubber (467.39 g/bag) substrates while the minimum yield (289.08 g/bag) was given by Rubber + Jack sawdust mixture. Considering the scarcity of rubber and mango wood as a sole source for substrate, the mixture of rubber and mango (50%:50%) or rubber and Lunumidella (50%:50%) could be successfully used for cultivation of G. lucidum.
Highlights
A mushroom is a macro fungus with a distinctive fruiting body
More vigorous and the fastest colonization period was observed in 100% Rubber (25.4 d) and Rubber + Lunumidella (50%:50%; 25.6 d) sawdust substrates
These results are consistent with the results reported by Bandaranayake et al (2012) where a faster colonization of G. lucidum was achieved in 100% Rubber (27 d) and 100% Lunumidella (23 d) sawdust
Summary
A mushroom is a macro fungus with a distinctive fruiting body. They grow saprophytically or parasitically on dead organic matter (Chang and Miles, 1997). Ganoderma lucidum has been recognized as a medicinal mushroom for over 4000 years in Far East countries and its powerful effects have been documented in ancient scripts (Wasser, 2005). Growth and Yield of Reishi Mushroom in Different Sawdust Substrates decaying fungus and it causes white rot of a wide variety of trees (Chang and Miles, 2004). In China, G. lucidum is called Ling zhi, and the Japanese name for Ganodermataceae family is Reishi (Wachtel-Galor et al, 2011) It contains various pharmacologically active compounds, including over 119 different triterpenes and several types of polysaccharides (Hsieh and Yang, 2004). With a view to developing an appropriate growing medium for commercial cultivation, the present study assessed the efficacy of sawdust substrates derived from four tree species commonly grown in Sri Lanka on growth and yield of G. lucidum
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
