By Osibe, Dandy Ahamefula
Four organic wastes; mahogany (Khaya ivorensis) sawdust (MSD), Gmelina aborea sawdust (GSD), oil palm fruit fibre (OPFF) and oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) were evaluated for their effects on growth, yield, quality and protein content of Lentinus squarrosulus (Mont.) Singer. Plastic bag technology was used with treatments replicated ten times and arranged using a completely randomized design. The quality of the harvested mushrooms was evaluated on the basis of four pileus diameter size groups (>7 cm, 5-7 cm, 3-5 cm, 7 cm group while Gmelina sawdust (GSD) and oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) had none in the same quality group. The percentage protein content of harvested mushrooms ranged from 13.27% for mushrooms produced from mahogany sawdust (MSD) to 27.42% for those grown on oil palm fruit fibre (OPFF). The above findings reveal the possibility of commercial production of high quality L. squarrosulus on oil palm fruit fibre (OPFF) and mahogany sawdust (MSD) while oil palm fruit fibre (OPFF) is recommended as the best substrate for spawn production among the various organic wastes used in this study.