Effects of selected culture media on mycellial growth of oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus)

The effect of selected culture media on mycelial growth of Pleurotus ostreatus was studied on six different culture media: three synthetic [malt extact agar (MEA), potato dextrose agar (PDA) and Saubroud dextrose agar (SDA)] and three formulated from locally available agricultural wastes [corncob (CCEA), palm waste (PWEA) and cassava peels (CPEA)]. The tissue culture of the mushroom was done on MEA which was used as the stock culture. The mycelia were subcultured severally to get a pure culture. Pure culture of the mycelia was subcultured on the different media types and incubated at room temperature for five days. The experiment was set up in three replicates. The mycelial growth, density and growth rate were obtained. The values obtained were subjected to statistical analysis. The results for maximum mycelia growth, mycelial density and growth rate were as follows: MEA (9.0 cm, 5+ and 1.8 cm/day), PDA (6.4 cm, 3+ and 1.3 cm/day), SDA (7.8 cm, 5+ and 1.6 cm/day), CPEA (9.0 cm, 4+ and 1.8 cm/day), PWEA (9.0 cm, 3+ and 1.8 cm/day) and CCEA (2.4 cm, 2+ and 0.5 cm/day). Generally, all the media types used supported the growth of the mycelia. The result indicates that MEA, SDA and CPEA gave abundant growth of P. ostreatus mycelia while CCEA recorded scanty mycelial growth. Key words: Pleurotus ostreatus, malt extact agar, potato dextrose agar, Saubroud dextrose agar, mushroom, mycelia growth.