Abstract
The straw mushroom, Volvariella volvacea (Bulliard ex Fries) Singer, (V. volvacea), a tropical and sub-tropical mushroom is an invaluable vegetable. Nutritional properties of straw mushrooms grown on plantain leaves, maize husk and waste cotton were investigated. Aim: The aim of this study was to recommend these agro-wastes for mushroom production by farmers instead of relying solely on seasonal wild hunting, and to promote consumption of the mushroom. Method: Ten percent (10%) of the mushrooms spawn was used to inoculate 500 g of each substrate in plastic baskets. Mushrooms were harvested after twenty days of incubation followed by proximate analysis of the fruiting bodies. Results: Results indicated that the fruiting bodies harvested from the substrates varied significantly (P Conclusion: These agro wastes are recommended for production of V. volvacea.
Highlights
Advocacy on consumption and cultivation of mushroom is increasing by the day
There was no significant difference between the numbers and weight of fruit recorded on the different substrate (Table 1)
Higher carbohydrate content was observed in the fruiting bodies harvested from maize husks; the carbohydrate level was not significantly different from the mushrooms grown on plantain leaves
Summary
Advocacy on consumption and cultivation of mushroom is increasing by the day. The International Society for Mushroom Science is championing the global campaign and has launched a health initiative in this regard since 2008 [1]. The potentials of mushrooms to address current food crisis problems in Africa, developing countries as well as future problems resulting from population explosion were reported by Mshandete and Cuff [2]. For mushrooms to be adequately promoted for cultivation and consumption, there is a need for basic knowledge of their medicinal and nutritional composition. This knowledge will make campaign for cultivation and consumption easier and probably reduce malnutrition and poverty especially in third world counties. It is essential to equip the populace with available and abundant sub-
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