Development Of Novel Commercial Production Protocol for High-Yielding Oyster Mushrooms (Pleurotus Species)

The main difficulties in growing mushrooms in Nigeria continue to be the low bio-efficiency of the most frequently utilized substrates and the stress that substrate composting experiences. This study assesses how well palm kernel fruit stalk (PKFS) wastes work for mushroom cultivation and makes additional attempts to determine how sterilization affects substrate composting and mushroom yield. Pleurotus ostreatus was grown on fermented PKFS (24 h, 48 h, and 72 h) using a novel protocol (spawn production, substrate composition, inoculation, spawn running, ramification, and fruit body production), and the effect of sterilization on the substrate composition was assessed. The highest yield was (1867 g) 72 h, followed by (1346 g) 48 h, and 24 h fermentation gave the lowest value (601 g), indicating that the fermentation process had an impact on the substrate composition in relation to the quantity of the mushroom yield. This affirms fermented PKFS can be employed as a commercial substrate for mushroom cultivation. The findings have established fermented PKFS as a cutting-edge method for growing oyster mushrooms. This novel protocol is easy and effective for mushroom composting, growing, and productivity. Additionally, there is no electricity usage involved in the technique, and the utilization of palm waste is a value-added, which turns waste into wealth and improves the environment. Keywords: Mushroom; Pleurotus ostreatus; Palm kernel fruits stalk; Fermentation