PRODUCTIVE EVALUATION OF OYSTER MUSHROOM FED DIFFERENT LEVELS OF NUTRIENT

ABSTRACT

This study evaluated the productivity of oyster mushroom fed different levels of nutrient in fish cum-mushroom farming system. The study was carried out by taking effluents from fish tank fed diet supplemented with different inclusion levels of mushroom at 0% (T1) without fish effluent,0% (T2) without mushroom, 1.0% (T3) 1.5% (T4), 2.0% (T5), 2.5% (T6) mushroom inclusion levels. Effluent from fish tank fed diet not supplemented with mushroom (0% mushroom inclusion) and T1 ordinary water served as negative and T2 positive control respectively then used for the mushroom culture. The substrate was prepared using sawdust, rice bran and chalk (CaCO3) and fish effluents fed different levels of mushroom in the experimental diets except for the control and bagged. The bagged substrate was then sterilized, inoculated with mushroom spawn and observed for mycelium colonization at 25ᵒC-30ᵒC.This was then moved to the growth chamber for watering, sprouting and fructification, before the collection of data. Each treatment were replicated thrice during the mushroom culture. There was significant difference (p<0.05) between the heights of fruiting bodies of the different treatments, with T3 and T4 having the highest values. The values of the stripe thickness showed T2 had the least stripe thickness and T3 had the highest, but T3 values were not significantly different (p<0.05) from results obtained from T1 and T4. The results showed that T4 had the highest pileus diameter, but the results showed that the values were statistically similar in all the treatments. The study showed that the T4 substrate had the highest bio-efficiency while T5 substrate had the least bio-efficient. Based on the results obtained during the period of study T4 is therefore recommended for mushroom production in a fish-cum-mushroom culture, as it has proven to increase the growth performance of Pleurotus ostreatus.