Substrate affects growth and yield of shiitake mushroom

Lentinus edodes (Berk.), the shiitake mushroom, is worldwide one of the most widely cultivated mushrooms. Sawdust is the most popular basal ingredient used in synthetic substrate formulations for producing shiitake spawn. However, the best sawdust for this uses needs to be determined. Shiitake mushroom was cultivated on sawdust from the woody plants Babla (Acacia nilotica L.), Champa (Michelia champaca L.), Garzon (Dipterocarpus alatus Roxb.), Ipil-ipil [Leucaena glauca (Linn) Benth], Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam), Mango (Mangifera indica L.), Raintree [Albizia saman (Jacq.) F Müll], Segun (Tectona grandis L), Shimul (Bombax ceiba L), Shisoo (Dalbergia sissoo Roxb) or mixtures of sawdust from all of the trees with equal ratio or rice straw to determine growth and fruiting characteristics. Cultivation on Jackfruit resulted in significantly faster mycelial growth compared to other substrates. With respect to fructification, culture on Jackfruit produced the first pinhead (primordium) earlier compared to other substrates. Numbers of primordial and effective fruiting bodies was highest on Jackfruit sawdust. Rice straw, surprisingly, did not produce any fruiting bodies as well as showing no yield attributes. Yield attributes including stalk length, stalk diameter and diameter and thickness of the pileus were significantly higher on Jackfruit. The lowest biological and economic yields were found when culture was on Champa. Biological efficiency and biological yield, economic yield and dry yield at the first and final harvests were highest with culture on Jackfruit and its use is recommended in the production of shiitake mushroom in the tropics.