Effect of Sesbania sesban on cultivation of Agaricus bisporus, Basidiomycota, and properties of spent mushroom compost outcome

Abstract

Because wheat straw has a high cost as a feed for livestock, this work aims to use straw of Egyptian pea (Sesbania sesban) in compost preparation as an alternative for the cultivation of Agaricus bisporus. Six composts were used within this study on two mushroom strains A. bisporus (C9 and F599 strains). The type of compost has a significant (p<0.05) effect on the size of button mushroom fruits. WHS1 compost exhibited the best diameter of pileus at 5.28 cm while WCS1 compost showed the lowest diameter reaching 4.68 cm. A. bisporus C9 had the longest stipe while A. bisporus F599 has the greatest cap diameter.A. bisporus F599 showed a larger ratio of the diameter of pileus to the length of stipe (DP/ LS ratio) (1.14) compared with C9 (1.07). C:N ratios of compost decreased significantly (p<0.05) after cultivation of mushrooms because of the high increase of nitrogen content in spent mushroom compost (SMC). Finally, the straw of S. sesban is suitable as a supplement for the cultivation of A. bisporus.