Different Agricultural Wastes as Substrates for Growth and Production of Pleurotus florida

The present study was done impact of agricultural wastes on growth and production by oyster mushrooms i.e., Pleurotus florida which have a rich source of protein and also has important medicinal properties. The yield and Biological efficiency of different lignocellulosic agricultural wastes viz. Wheat straw, Maize leaves, Cob leaves, Jawar residue, Bajra residue, Bamboo leaves, Paddy straw, Sugarcane, Cotton, Soyabean, Safflower (Pods residue), Pigeon pea (Pods residue), Mung bean (Pods residue), Cowpea (Pods residue). the paddy straw showed the highest yield 892.25 gm with the highest biological efficiency 89.09 % followed by Cowpea pods residue gives 879.65 gm yield of Pleurotus florida and shows biological efficiency of 87.72%, followed by Wheat straw substrate showed 871.18 gm yields with 87.27 % biological efficiency. The Pigeon pea pod residue showed 865.85 gm yield during three harvestings having 86.36% biological efficiency. Similar result was seen Bajra residue and soybean pod residue in bajra residue showed 792.45gm yield during three harvestings having 79.245% biological efficiency, in soybean pod residue showed 791.63 gm yield during three harvestings having 79.163 % biological efficiency. The lowest yield was seen in Bamboo leaves and cotton residues. In cotton residue substrate 433.22 gm total yield along with 43.32% biological efficiency, Bamboo leaves substrate total yield were seen 438.12gm with 43.81 % biological efficacy. Keywords: Pleurotus florida, Agricultural waste, Substrates, Biological efficiency

Comparative Analysis of Temperature on Yield of Different Varieties of Oyster Mushroom Production

Oyster mushrooms are economical and most easily grown of all cultivated edible mushrooms. The crop has a range of varieties, differing in form, colour, texture and odor, which can be cultivated throughout the year under a diverse agro-climatic conditions. Three different oyster mushroom species viz., Hypsizygus ulmarius (var. CO2), Pleurotus eous (var. APK1) and Pleurotus florida (var. PF) along with three cropping rooms of varied temperatures was used for the study. Among the different cropping rooms, thatched shed with a temperature of 23o C recorded a highest yield of 748g, 712 and 673 g per 500 g of substrate by PF, CO 2 and APK 1 respectively than AC room and Concrete room. The temperature of the cropping room is inversely proportional to the yield of oyster mushroom. Hence, the thatched shed was best suited for oyster mushroom cultivation, which was both economic and easy to use.

Purification and Characterization of Milk Clotting Enzyme from Edible Mushroom (Pleurotus florida)

Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus florida 14 MICC) is one of the most widely cultivated edible fungi in the world. Milk clotting enzyme (MCE) derived from the mold was developed as a calf rennet alternative; thus, it was purified and characterized, and its effect on different milk species was investigated. The highest MCE activity (75.49 SU/ml) was observed in mushroom fruit bodies dissolved in 0.2 M sodium acetate pH 5.0; as well as the highest total MCE activity (367.85 SU) was recorded at 20% of ammonium sulfate with a specific activity of 343.79 SU mg-1 protein while size exclusion column chromatography on Sephadex G-100 purified MCE 3.46-fold with 17.96% yield. Also, it could be capable of coagulating different milk species. Mushroom MCE exhibited their optimal activity at pH 5.0 for crude extract (CE) while at pH 6.0 for partial purified (PP) and purified (P) MCE fractions; as well as at 55 °C for CE and PP MCE fractions while 50 °C for P MCE. CaCl2 concentration (0.01%) recorded the maximal activity for CE while (0.04%) and (0.02%) for PP and P fractions, respectively. It could be concluded that MCE from Oyster mushroom may be a good candidate as a calf rennet substitute in cheese production.

​Efficiency of Biocomposted Agroindustrial Wastes and Their Response in the Growth and Yield of Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp

Background: Agroindustrial by-products of cocoa shell and jack fruit peels generally considered as organic waste have almost no economic value and create a big problem in disposal time. A significant amount of biocomposted cocoa shell and jack fruit peel waste is used as organic manure that enhances growth in Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. Methods: This research work was conducted in the period of 2019 in the Department of Botany, Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher Education for Women, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu (India). A large amount of cocoa shell and jack fruit peel waste was used for the biocompost preparation using Pleurotus eous, Pleurotus florida spawns and Eudrilus eugeniae. After 90 days, biocompost were taken and sieved used as manure for plant study. Eight different treatments were carried out for the cultivation of Cowpea. Plant samples at various stages (25, 35 and 45 DAS) were analyzed for shoot and root length, number of leaves, flowers, nodules /plant, fresh weight and dry weight of plant. On 65th day yield parameters like number of pods/plant, length of the pod, number of seeds/pod, weight of seeds/pods, pod fresh weight and pod dry weight were analyzed. Result: The experimental results showed that the application T8 (Raw jackfruit peel + 10 g Pleurotus eous + 10 g Pleurotus florida + Eudrilus eugeniae 5 t/ha-1) recorded maximum root (20.63 cm, 32.73 cm and 39.23 cm), shoot length (70.73 cm, 167.50 cm and 175.83 cm), number of leaves/plant (26.46 cm, 33.53 cm and 37.50 cm), number of flowers/plant (12), number of nodules (14, 21.20 and 11.34), fresh weight (10.076 g, 12.146 g and 14.047 g) and dry weight (1.744 g, 1.854 g and 2.827 g) are closely followed by T4 (Raw cocoa shell+ 10 g Pleurotus eous + 10 g Pleurotus florida + Eudrilus eugeniae 5 t/ha-1). A significant increase in the yield parameters such as number of pods/plant (21), length of pod (16.50 cm), number of seeds/pod (20), weight of seed/pod (1.68 g), fresh weight (5.711 g) and dry weight of pod (2.398 g) was observed in treatment T8 as compared to the other treatments (T1, T2, T3, T5, T6 and T7) and control respectively.