Evaluation of agro-wastes for the production of oyster mushroom (Pleurotus sajor caju)

Oyster mushrooms draw their nutritional requirement from a host substrate or from the agricultural wastes rich in lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose used for their cultivation. Nutrient content varied with the substrate which lead to varied mushroom yield. An experiment was conducted to evaluate commonly available agro – wastes viz. paddy straw, wheat straw, leaves and stalks of maize, leaves and stalk of sorghum straw, sugarcane leaves and sugarcane bagasse for the cultivation of oyster mushroom (Pleurotus sajor caju). Among tested substrates paddy straw was found most suitable for the cultivation of P. sajor caju.