Adapting sawdust for Pleurotus tuber-regium cultivation

The efficacy of fresh and composted sawdust for the cultivation of Pleurotus tuber-regium was evaluated to determine the better substrate medium for sclerotia production. The composted sawdust was left to decompose for two weeks while the fresh sawdust was not subjected to decomposition. Sclerotia production on composted sawdust was significantly (p<0.05) higher than from the fresh sawdust. Fresh weight of sclerotia for the composted sawdust was 21.6 g while the fresh weight of sclerotia for the fresh sawdust was 15.6 g; dry weight of sclerotia for the composted sawdust was 11.6 g while that of the fresh sawdust was 8.2 g. Composted sawdust is a better substrate for the cultivation of Pleurotus tuber-regium to produce sclerotia.