A study was conducted to examine the effect of different types of spawns on oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) production using sawdust. Locally available grains of kurakkan (Eleusine coracana), maize (broken) (Zea mays), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), and paddy (Oryza sativa) were used for spawn production. Sawdust spawned with different types P. ostreatus spawns were examined for spawn running (mycelia development), pinhead formation and fruit body formation, mean yield, and biological efficiency. The experiment was setup as a complete randomized design with three replicates. The kurakkan spawn produced an acceleration of spawn running, pinhead formation, fruit body formation and increased yield, compared with other types of spawn viz.; maize, sorghum, and paddy. The fastest spawn running of 21 ± 1 days, pinhead formation of 35 ± 1 days, highest mean yield of 55.37 ± 0.67 g and maximum fresh mushroom yield percentage of 30.76 ± 0.01 were realized for kurakkan spawn.

An investigation was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of four different types of grain spawns viz; kurakkan (Eleusine coracana), maize (Zea mays), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), and paddy (Oryza sativa) on oyster (Pleurotus ostreatus) mushroom production. Spawn types were based on their effects on mushroom solids (%), biological efficiency (BE %), size (g), number of sporophores, yield, yield ratio and substrate weight loss (%). Locally available kurakkan (Eleusine coracana), maize (broken) (Zea mays), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), and paddy (Oryza sativa) were used for spawn production. The experiment was designed as a complete randomized design with three replicates. Four types of spawns were tested on a medium based on sawdust. The growing media (substrate) inoculated with kurakkan spawns showed the highest biological efficiency of 27.82± 0.12 (%) , mean yield of 52.94 ± 0.67 g, mushroom size of 7.73 ± 0.33 g and yield ratio of 23.19 ± 0.01. The harvests obtained from paddy spawn showed the highest mushroom solids of 9.97 ± 0.26 (g/100g of harvest). Highest mean numbers of sporophore (fruiting bodies) were noticed in the harvests obtained from sorghum spawn (7.67 ± 0.66). The kurakkan spawn significantly. Enhanced biological efficiency and increased size and yield, when compared with other spawn types viz; maize (Zea mays), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), and paddy (Oryza sativa).