%0 Journal Article
%T First Preliminary Report on Isolation and Characterization of Novel Acinetobacter spp. in Casing Soil Used for Cultivation of Button Mushroom, Agaricus bisporus (Lange) Imbach
%A D. K. Choudhary
%J International Journal of Microbiology
%D 2011
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2011/790285
%X Despite evaluation of large number of agroindustrial wastes for their use as casing material for Agaricus bisporus (Lange) Imbach cultivation, scant attention has been given to the importance of biological properties of casing materials. In the present study, an attempt was made to characterize the bacterial flora in casing layer, namely, Farm Yard Manure (FYM) and Spent Mushroom Substrate/spent compost (SMS/SC) (FYM+SC, 3£¿:£¿1) and FYM and Vermi Compost (VC) (FYM+VC, 3£¿:£¿1), employing partial 16S rDNA sequencing. Available data showed a significant variety of organisms that included Acinetobacter and Pseudomonas of the ¦Ã-proteobacteria, that were the most frequently encountered genera. This is the first preliminary report on the microbial diversity of casing soils and demonstrates the presence of Acinetobacter spp. that has not been previously described in casing material. 1. Introduction Cultivation of button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus (Lange) Imbach, is a biotechnological process that recycles lignino-cellulosic wastes (spent substrates), and the spent substrates can be used in different ways [1, 2]. Consistent production of successful mushroom crops is built upon scientific knowledge and practical experiences. A. bisporus (Lange) Imbach, is the most widely cultivated species of edible mushrooms and it is the most popular cultivar among the artificially grown fungi of the world that contributes about 31.8% to the global mushroom cultivation and 85% of the total produce in India [3]. A. bisporus requires two different substrates to form the fruit bodies, that is, the compost for nutrition on which it grows vegetatively and the nutrient deficient casing soil in which the suitable physicochemical/biological conditions stimulate the initiation process of pin head formation for fruit body production [2]. The casing layer is one of the important growing parameters and source of variation in production, quality, and uniformity of commercial cropping. A variety of casing materials have been used worldwide, among these, use of farm yard manure (FYM), as a casing medium for mushroom cultivation, has been in vogue in Indian subcontinent because of its easy availability and nonavailability of peat moss generally used for casing in Europe and USA. The advantages of using FYM as a casing material over other agroindustrial wastes have been highlighted in recent reports [4, 5]. Spent mushroom substrate (SMS) is the remnant of compost from which mushrooms have been produced and for which several important roles have been described [6]. Despite evaluation of large
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijmicro/2011/790285/