The growth and yield quality of grey oyster mushroom, Pleurotus Sajor-Caju on Brachiaria Mutica as substrate

Many places cultivate oyster mushroom (P/eurotus spp.) by using sawdust and other agricultural wastes. Oyster mushroom is capable of converting lignocellulosic residues from agricultural fields and forest into protein-rich biomass by degrading those. Like sabai grass as potential substrate, Brachiaria mutica belongs to the Poaceae family also contain lignocellulose that fulfils the characteristic as substrate for the cultivation of oyster mushroom. Since this grass is highly available in Sandakan areas, it is possible to reuse it as a substrate for cultivation of oyster mushroom. In the present study, 8. mutica was used as substrates for the cultivation of grey oyster mushroom (Pleurotus sajor-caju). To study the possibility of using it, 8. mutica was tested by using either as whole substrate or in combination with conventional substrate such as sawdust at different ratio in 3:1, 1:1 and 1:3 ratio. Each treatments had 5 replicates. Sawdust as control, unexpectedly, did not produce any fruiting bodies, resulting no yield attributes. It was most probably due to the contamination of green mould and flies. However, when 8. mutica mixed with sawdust in any ratios or as whole substrate, it showed no significance different in yield by fresh weight of fruiting bodies and biological efficiency. Sawdust mixed with 8. mutica at ratio 1:3 revealed as the best ratio recommended in term of primordial formation and biological efficiency. The results indicated that 8. mutica can be utilized as a good substrate for the P. sajor-caju cultivation. This study also provided an alternative way to decrease the dependence on sawdust for the large scale of P. sajor-caju cultivation