A preliminary study on spawn production of oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus)

Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) is the most commonly grown mushroom species after white button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) in Turkey. The cultivation of Pleurotus spp. dates back to 1980’s in the country. The cultivation of white button mushrom has also become quite common in the same years. Although Oyster mushroom is easier to grow than white button mushroom, the cultivation of this mushroom has not attracted the attention of the growers hence not grown widely. This mushroom species does not require laborsome work such as compost preparation and can be easily grown on oak, ash and poplar stumps and agricultural waste products rich in cellulose and lignin. Furthermore, wastes of Oyster mushroom cultivation can be used in animal feeding and agricultural production. In addition to these properties, the mushroom is an important food and raw material source in human nutrition and health as it has significant nutritional and medicinal values. The interest in Oyster mushroom cultivation has increased noticeably in recent years in the country. However, as in white button mushroom, the mushroom spawn which is the most important input of oyster mushroom production is obtained from foreign sources. Up to date, there has not been any native isolates or cultures of both mushroom species that were identified and commercialized for spawn production in the country. Importation of mushroom spawn produced from isolates originated or developed in other countries put a heavy economic burden on the growers and the country. In this study, mushroom spawn was produced from a native isolate of P. ostreatus, and the growth potential and yield of the isolate were evaluated by inoculating the spawn onto wheat straw compost. This is a pioneer research to produce mushroom spawn domestically and to reduce the dependence on foreign spawn supply