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ABSTRACT
The project was carried out to determine effect of pH and aeration on the vegetative growth of two edible mushrooms: Pleurotus ostreatus and Marasmiellus inoderma. Culture media (PDA) used to test the growth of these mushrooms at different pH range (5.0, 6.0, 6.5, 7.0, 8.0, 9.0). The aeration level was determined by covering the inoculated plates with paper tape, transparent tape and plates left unsealed. The inoculated plates were observed for mycelial growth and cultural characteristics of the mushrooms. The result revealed that the two mushrooms were able to grow in the media treated with different pH levels. For aeration, the highest mycelial extension was observed for Marasmiellus inoderma under the transparent tape condition where the mycelial completely covers the petri dish in a fast and shorter time and for Pleurotus ostreatus, the unsealed condition had the highest growth rate. For Pleurotus ostreatus, the highest mycelial extension for was observed in pH 8 (68.30±5.27mm) and the least mycelial extension in pH 6.5 (48.50±3.72mm) while for Marasmiellus inoderma the highest mycelial extension was observed in pH 6 (84.11±2.01mm) and pH 6.5 (70.88±3.04mm) had the least mycelial extension. The most suitable pH for biomass production in Pleurotus ostreatus was pH 8 (617.00±72.92mg) while for Marasmiellus inoderma, pH 5(616.33±36.7mg) had the highest biomass. It was observed both mushrooms had the least biomass in pH 9 (Pleurotus ostreatus 400.67±7.76mg and Marasmiellus inoderma 362.67±25.15mg). While for aeration Pleurotus ostreatus shows that Transparent tape (545.67±17.21mg) had the highest biomass and Unsealed (511.00±16.70mg) had the least. For Marasmiellus inoderma, the Unsealed plate (781.33±12.90mg) had the highest biomass and Paper tape (380.67 ±12.50mg) had the least biomass. The morphological characteristics and density of the mycelial of Pleurotus ostreatus and Marasmiellus inoderma were observed in the course of the study. The pH and aeration conditions significantly affect the mycelia growth and biomass production of Marasmiellus inoderma and Pleurotus ostreatus. Maintaining the appropriate pH and aeration conditions is crucial for optimizing the growth and biomass production of these edible mushrooms
