Evaluación de la eficiencia biológica de cepas de Pleurotus pulmonarius en paja de cebada fermentada

five pleurotus pulmonarius strains obtained by interbreeding of monokaryotic mycelia isolated from a commercial strain were studied. the aim was to identify germplasm adequate to industrial production. pasteurized barley straw was used as the substrate for mushroom production. two treatments were tested: barley straw fermented during 7 days (pcf) and unfermented straw (pc). the mean biological efficiency of the strains was 55.73% (pcp) and 71.25% (pc), while the production rate was 0.64% (pcf) and 0.92% (pc), after four flushes, with a mean production period of 66 days (pcf) and 58 days (pc). during fermentation period, the straw showed a maximum temperature (64°c) at five day. prior to sowing, the ph of pcf was 9.4 with 74% moisture and control (pc) had a ph of 8.5 and 73% moisture. during the fermentation the initial c:n in the control was 76% (dry basis) and in the pcf decreased gradually until 47% at seven day. some of the strains generated increased their productivity. however, their efficient use will depend on the substrate conditions on which the strain grow.