King tuber mushroom: Bioconversion of fluted pumpkin, sawdust and paper

Abstract

Pleurotus tuber-regium (Rumph. Ex Fr.) Singer (King tuber mushroom) was cultivated on sawdust; mixture of sawdust and waste paper and mixture of Telfairia occidentalis Hook.F. (Fluted pumpkin) stem and waste paper in order to examine growth of the mushroom on the test substrates. The spawn of the mushroom was used to inoculate the substrates. Mycelia ramification and sclerotia production were monitored on the substrates during the research. The sclerotia produced were analyzed for protein and crude fiber content. Mycelia ramification for paper mixed with fluted pumpkin stem treatment was significantly different from sawdust and sawdust mixed with paper at P=0.05. Fluted pumpkin stem and waste paper could serve as substrates for cultivation of P. tuber-regium.