Vol. 11, Special Issue 5 (2022)

Author(s):
Satish Kumar and Jagdeep Singh

Abstract:
The Directorate of Mushroom Research (DMR), Chambaghat, Solan (H.P.) supplied a total of 34 Pleurotus species/strains during different years for their evaluation at All India Coordinated Research Project (Mushroom) at Hisar centre. The wheat straw was hot water treated at 65 °C for 60 minutes and dried till it attains 60 per cent moisture. The polythene bags were filled with 5 kg wet substrate having spawned at 10% of dry substrate. There were five replications per strain and 10 bags per replication. The observations on yield (kg/100 kg dry straw), time taken for first harvest (days) and pileus color were observed. The eleven strains tested during 2017-18 revealed that strain PL 17-11 produced a significantly maximum yield of 63.2 kg/100 kg dry substrate and gave first harvesting in 23.0 days. The ten strains were examined during 2018-19 and strain PL 18-04 produced highest yield of 73.6 kg/100 kg dry substrate and took a time of 25.2 days for first harvest. The strain PL 18-02 took a significantly lowest time of 24.8 days for first harvest. The seven strains evaluated during 2019-20 revealed that strain PL 19-07 produced significantly highest yield of 94.4 kg/100 kg dry straw and first harvesting was completed in 28 days. Similarly, six strains were tested during 2020-21 and strain PL-20-202 produced highest yield of 55.8 kg/100 kg dry straw with 26.2 days of first harvest duration. The four strains PL 17-11, PL 18-04, PL 19-07, PL 20-202 were found to give highest yield at 63.2, 73.6, 94.4 and 55.8 kg/100 kg dry substrate with duration of first harvest from 23-28 days during 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21, respectively. Among these, the strain PL 19-07 was light brown while other three were white in color. It can also be summarized in another way that among 34 strains, 22 strains gave a yield of 50.0 kg or more /100 kg dry substrate and only 12 strains gave yield of less than 50.0 kg/100 kg dry substrate. The duration of first harvest was between 23.0 to 35.5 days and pileus was light brown, brown, dark brown and white in colour.