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Three crops of Agaricus bisporus were grown
on non-composted substrate (NCS), spent mushroom
compost (SMC), a 50/50 mixture of NSC/SMC, or pasteurized
Phase II compost. NCS consisted of oak sawdust
(28% oven dry wt), millet (29%), rye (8%), peat
(8%), ground alfalfa (4%), ground soybean (4%), wheat
bran (9%) and CaCO3 (10%). Substrates were nonsupplemented
or supplemented with Target (a commercial
delayed release nutrient for mushroom culture)
or soybean meal at spawning or casing, or with Micromax
(a mixture of nine micronutrients) at spawning.
Mushroom yield (27.2 kg/m2) was greatest on a 50/50
mixture of NCS/SMC supplemented with 10% (dry wt)
Target at casing. The same substrate supplemented
with Target at spawning yielded 20.1 kg/m2. By comparison,
mushroom yield on Phase II compost supplemented
at casing or at spawning with Target was
21.6 kg/m2 and 20.6 kg/m2, respectively. On NCS
amended with 0.74% or 0.9% Micromax at spawning,
yields increased by 51.8% (12.9 kg/m2) and 71.8%
(14.6 kg/m2), respectively, over non-amended NCS
(8.5 kg/m2). Conversely, mushroom yields were not affected
when Micromax was added to a 50/50 mixture of
NCS/SMC. Mushroom solids content was higher in
mushrooms harvested from NCS amended with 0.74%
Micromax (9.6%) compared to non-amended NCS
(8.3%). |
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