EFFECT OF SPENT MUSHROOM SUBSTRATE ADMIXED WITH TOP SOIL ON THE DRY MATTER PRODUCTION OF AMARANTH

ABSTRACT

An experiment was carried out between May and August, 2023 in a screen House in Faculty of Agriculture, University of Benin, Benin city to evaluate the effect of spent mushroom SMS admixed with top soil on the dry matter production of amaranth. The trial involved five levels (0, 50, 500, 150 and 100g) admixed in 3kg  of top soil laid out in a completely randomized design (CRD) with 3 replications. Results showed that spent mushroom substrate significantly (p<0.05) affected shoot length, Root length, shoot dry weight, root dry weight, dry weight root, shoot ration and herbage yield (WAS). Application of 200g SMS to 10kg soil produced the best dry matter attributes in terms of dry weight of shoot (7.45 and 7.18g), root dry weight (0.90 and 0.76g), root to shoot: ratio (0.12 and 0.12) and herbage yield (94.8t/ha^-1). SMS application rate of 200g per 3 kg soil is recommended for amaranth growers.