Shiitake Lentinula Edodes Production on a Sterilized Bagasse Substrate Enriched with Rice Bran and Sugarcane Molasses

This investigation was performed to evaluate the biological efficiency (BE), mean mushroom weight (MMW), mean number of mushroom (MNM) and mushroom quality of Shiitake [Lentinula edodes (Berk.) Pegler] when grown on a sterilized substrate composed by sugarcane bagasse enriched with rice bran and sugarcane molasses. The proportions of rice bran were 0, 15, 20, 25 and 30% (dry weight/dry weight of bagasse); and the concentrations of sugarcane molasses were 0, 30 and 60 g/kg (dry weight/dry weight of bagasse plus rice bran). Four flushes were obtained during the production cycle, providing 3 accumulated productions which were used for production analysis. The substrate supplemented with 25 and 30% rice bran yielded the highest BE (98.42 and 99.84%, respectively, about 230 days after spawning) and MNM and initially produced a lower MMW than the substrates supplemented with 15 and 20% rice bran. Any amount of rice bran added to the sugarcane bagasse improved mushroom quality, with the best production of marketable mushrooms obtained by the addition of 15% rice bran. The largest amount of sugarcane molasses (60 g/kg) increased BE (90.3 and 23.6%, on first and second accumulated productions, respectively) and MNM and no quantity affected mushroom quality.