The effect of addition of different amounts of maidenhair tree leaves to substrate on quantity and earliness of yield and chemical composition of oyster mushroom carpophores was investigated. The experiment was carried out at the Department of Vegetable Crops of the Poznan University of Life Sciences in the year 2008.
The subject of the studies was the ‘P80’ strain of Pleurotus ostreatus. Two cycles of cultivation were conducted. Alder sawdust supplemented with yellow and green maidenhair tree leaves in the amount of 0%, 1% and 10% in relation to dry matter of sawdust were used as experimental substrates. Cultivation was conducted in polypropylene bottles of capacity of 1 dm3. Yield quantity and earliness as well as chemical composition of carpophores were determined.
It was found that quantity and earliness of P. ostreatus yield depended on the amount and kind of maidenhair tree leaves added to substrate. The highest and the earliest yield was obtained on substrate supplemented with 10% addition of green maidenhair tree leaves. The amount of maidenhair tree leaves added to substrate influenced the content of protein and carbohydrates in carpophores whereas it did not influence the content of dry matter, fat and ash. Carpophores obtained on the substrate supplemented with 10% addition of maidenhair tree leaves, independently of their kind, were characterized by the highest content of protein and carbohydrates.
