Performance of Schizophyllum commune (Fries), a Wild Edible Mushroom, on Saw Dust based Compost Media

Abstract

Schizophyllum commune (Fries) is a naturally occurring wild edible mushroom valued for its high nutritional composition and unique taste. The domesticating and commercial cultivation opportunities of this mushroom have been left unexploited. An effort was made to domesticate and to develop technologies for artificial cultivation of this valued mushroom so that, it can be grown throughout the year. Effects of different bag sizes, composition (different types of saw dust media and saw dust: straw mixtures), compactness of the substrate and opening surface for cropping, on yield performances were studied. Results revealed that 5. commune can be successfully cultivated under artificial conditions. Better mushroom yield was recorded in polypropylene bags (13") filled with 1.20-1.24 kg composts. Bag size below (13") influenced negatively on yield of mushroom grown in saw dust medium. Increasing opening surface of the bag had no effect on the mushroom yield. Mango as the saw dust substrate gave a significantly high yield (75% increases) as compared to the rubber saw dust which gave the lowest yield. Paddy straw and saw dust at different ratios, gave varying mushroom yields. This investigation showed that S. commune could be grown commercial scale under farmer's condition.