Growth Performance and Postharvest Quality of Grey Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus sajor caju) Subjected to Different Sound Intensity Treatments Prior to Fruiting Body Formation

Many people believe the emergence of mushroom on earth needs specific times where in wild it normally grows after a heavy rain falls. The effects of lightning and thunderstorm may suppress the mychorrizal structure to grow and eventually forming fruiting body. This study was aimed to determine the effects of different sound intensities on the growth performance, yield and postharvest quality of grey oyster mushroom ( Pleurotus sajor caju ). Five different sound intensities had been applied during spawning period which were 55 Db (control), 65 Db, 75 Db, 85 Db and 95 Db. The parameters studied were mycelium growth rate, days of mycelium filled up the bags, days of pinhead emergence, days of fruiting body formation, percentage biological efficiency, number of fruiting bodies, pileus diameter, color and texture. There were significant differences (P<0.05) in the mycelium growth among different sound intensity treatments where 65 Db and 75 Db showed faster growth rate than other treatments. However, there was no significant difference observed in other growth parameters, yield and postharvest quality except in color L* value where mushroom with no sound treatment (control) showed lighter color. In conclusion, treatments with 65 Db and 75 Db could be considered as the best treatment to enhance the mycelium growth thus accelerate the mushroom cultivation process. This research could help   farmers to grow and  harvest their mushroom at specific time frame and fulfill customer’s demand. Keywords :  Pleurotus sajor caju, sound treatment, physical treatment, grey oyster