Vol. 7, Issue 7, Part H (2025)

The cultivation of Pleurotus ostreatus (oyster mushroom) represents a sustainable and resource-efficient agro-practice, offering significant nutritional and economic benefits. This study investigates the impact of various locally available agro-waste substrates-wheat straw, paddy straw, pea straw, gram straw, green gram straw, mustard straw, and a control mixture-on the growth and yield of P. ostreatus under ambient room temperature conditions. The experiment was conducted using a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with five replications per treatment to evaluate growth indicators such as days to complete mycelial colonization, pinhead formation, fruiting body development, number of fruiting bodies, average fruiting body weight, total yield, and biological efficiency (BE%). Results indicated that wheat straw exhibited superior performance across all measured parameters, achieving the shortest colonization period (13.2 days), the earliest fruiting, the highest yield per bag (865.2 g), and the maximum biological efficiency (86.5%). Paddy straw and the control substrate mix also showed promising results, while mustard straw significantly underperformed, likely due to antifungal compounds inhibiting fungal colonization and fruiting. Legume-based substrates such as pea and green gram straw produced fewer fruiting bodies but yielded larger mushrooms on average. Findings highlight the critical role of substrate selection in optimizing mushroom production. The study recommends the use of cereal-based substrates-particularly wheat straw-for high-yield, low-input mushroom cultivation, especially in rural settings. The integration of leguminous residues in mixed substrates may further enhance fruiting body quality and market value. This research supports sustainable waste recycling and rural entrepreneurship through efficient mushroom farming.