Assessment of Growth Support Potentials of Different Substrates for the Cultivation of Volvoriella Volvaceae

Four substrates (banana leaves, sawdust, palm trunk fibre and coconut coir) were screened for the cultivation of straw mushroom ( Volvoriella volvaceae ). Palm trunk fibre and coconut coir substrates did not support spawning and fruit body production of the test mushroom. Proximate analyses of the composted and spent substrates revealed marked reduction in crude fibre and increase in the protein content of the spent substrates. Treatment of the substrates with CaCO 3 and rice bran increased the alkalinity of the banana and sawdust substrates. On banana leaves, spawn run took 21 days while sawdust substrate was totally colonized in 28 days. Pinheads appeared three days after transfer of the fully colonized substrates to the cropping room. Thirty one (31) flushes (each spanned 7 days) were recorded in 210 days. However, sawdust did not support the production of fruit bodies beyond the 24 th flush which corresponded to day 161 from the initiation of pinheads. The biological efficiency was 19.93% for banana leaves and 10.05% for sawdust. The total fresh weight of fruit bodies produced from banana leaves and sawdust were 21.62kg and 10.91kg respectively. The mean length of stipe, area of pileus, fresh and dry weights of V. volvaceae cultivated on banana leaves substrate doubled those produced on sawdust substrate and were significantly different at P<0.05 Key words: Sawdust, banana leaves, nutrient composition, pH, Volvoriella volvaceae.