Mwita, Liberata; Lyantagaye, Sylvester L.; Mshandete, Anthony M.
Description:
Coprinus cinereus is a Tanzanian wild edible mushroom whose cultivation in the laboratory was
performed in solid-state fermentation bioreactors using sisal decortication wastes namely; sisal dusts, sisal
fibres and sisal leaves as basal substrates supplemented with chicken manure at various rates. Bioreactors
containing 450 g wet weight of the three sisal wastes substrates each was supplemented with dry chicken
manure at 0% (un-supplemented control), 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% and 25% of substrate dry weight. The effect of
the test sisal waste substrates and chicken manure of various supplementation rates were evaluated by
mushroom yield, (g fresh mushroom/kg moist substrate) and its biological efficiency, B.E. (relationship
between fresh mushroom weight and dry substrate weight as percentage) and mushroom size (a ratio of total
weight of fresh mushroom and total number of mushrooms). Each, sisal waste substrate and chicken manure
supplement at various rates showed variable impact on mushroom yield, productivity and size. The overall best
results of mushroom production were obtained in sisal dust at 25% chicken manure in terms of mushroom yield
381 g fresh mushrooms/kg moist substrate weight and its B.E. of 112% while mushroom size best results of
1.64 was obtained at 15% manure. In conclusion, results suggest that chicken manure from free-range chicken
may play an important role on increasing the yield and productivity of Coprinus cinereus on sisal waste
substrates under the conditions investigated.