MSc

The work entitled "Standardization of techniques for cultivation of Button mushroom (Agaricus spp.) in Kerala" was conducted during the period 2013 - 2015 at College of Agriculture, Vellayani. The aim of study was to explore the possibility of cultivation of Agaricus species and develop a modified technique for the production of quality compost with alternative agricultural waste. A preliminary survey was conducted for the collection of various isolates of Agaricus spp. during and after south - west monsoon in different locations. The five isolates obtained along with the two isolates available at AICRP centre, Vellayani were sent to DMR and accession numbers were obtained for all the isolates.The isolate 7 identified as Agaricus bisporus (Lange) Imbach which showed maximum growth on potato dextrose agar as well as intensive spawn run on paddy grains was selected for further studies.
Studies revealed that maximum vegetative growth was observed on potato dextrose agar and it preferred a temperature of 24 °C with a pH of 6. It was also observed that dark phase favoured the growth of A. bisporus. Among the different carbon and nitrogen sources tested, glucose and beef extract supported maximum growth of A. bisporus.
The study on evaluation of different substrates for spawn production revealed that in paddy grains spawn run was completed within twelve days which was the best.
Evaluation of various compost and casing material combinations revealed that pearl millet straw, poultry manure, urea and gypsum + coir pith was the best with a total yield after three harvests of 325.97 g per kg bed followed by pearl millet straw, poultry manure, urea and gypsum + tea waste (301.76 g per kg bed). No mycelial growth was observed in all combinations of sawdust, poultry manure, urea and gypsum as well as wheat bran, poultry manure, urea and gypsum with different casing materials.
The pest and disease incidence during the cultivation period of A. bisporus was studied and it was observed that sciarid flies and staphylinid beetles were prevalent during sporocarp formation. The competitive fungi recorded were Trichoderma sp. and Coprinus sp. during spawn run, casing and sporocarp formation.
The study also showed that mushrooms stored under refrigeration (4 °C) had maximum shelf life of 7 days compared to those stored at room temperature.
Sensory evaluation of mushroom recipes were carried out by a panel of judges for attributes like colour, texture, flavor and taste using a five point score card. Among the various products mushroom soup obtained an overall acceptability of 4.7.
From this study it can be concluded that growth of A. bisporus was maximum in potato dextrose agar at a temperature of 24 °C with a pH of 6 in dark phase. Glucose and beef extract were found to be the best carbon and nitrogen sources respectively. Compost prepared from pearl millet straw, poultry manure, urea and gypsum overlaid with coir pith compost as casing material supported maximum growth and yield of A. bisporus.