The possibilitiy of using different agricultural wastes in oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus, Pleurotus sajor-caju) cultivation

The objective of this study was to investigate the possibility of using of different agricultural wastes in cultivation of Pleurotus spp. and to determine the capacity of degredation of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin and to find the yield mechanism relation between these. The spawns of P. ostreatus and P. sajor-caju were inoculated on grape pruning waste, wheat straw, paddy straw, sesame straw, sawdust: wheat bran (2:1), grape pruning waste: wheat bran (2:1), wheat straw: wheat bran (2:1), paddy straw: wheat bran (2:1), sesame straw: wheat bran (2:1).Mycelium growing duration, total yield, biological efficiencies for treatments and morphological and chemical charecteristics of mushrooms were determined. Carbon, nitrogen, ash, macro and micro element analysis, cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin amounts were also determined to find substrate contents. In different stages cellulase and laccase enzyme activities of the Pleurotus species also were measured.The fastest mycelium growing durations were obtained from wheat straw, grape pruning wastes and sesame straw inoculated with P. ostreatus and from wheat straw inoculated with P. sajor-caju. The highest total yield and biological efficiency in both species were obtained from wheat straw:bran (2:1), on the other hand the lowest total yield and biological efficiency in both species were obtained from wheat straw. Between the species statistically a positive relation was found between yields and nitrogen amounts of substrates. However, statistically a negative relation was obtained between the C:N ratios of these substrates. P. ostreatus and P. sajor-caju were degredated and used hemicellulose preferably when compared with cellulose and lignin. In general, the higher yield was obtained from the substrates which have higher cellulase enzyme activities.Keywords: Pleurotus, yield, bioconservation, cellulase, hemicellulose