Lentinus squarrosulus (mont.): successful domestication and regional adaptability in Orlu, Imo State, eastern Nigeria

Abstract

Lentinus squarrosulus is a wild edible mushroom utilized globally not only for its nutritional values but also for its medicinal and mycoremediation potentials. Domestication of this mushroom will make available mother culture and spawn for research and propagation, and ensure year-round availability for economic and sustainable development. Tissue culture was prepared and actively growing mycelia were inoculated onto grain spawn. Cultivation trials were conducted using sawdust from various wood species, including Treculia africana (African breadfruit), Mangifera indica (Mango), Dacryodes edulis (African pear), and mixed sawdust from various wood species. Substrates were composted, sterilized, inoculated with the spawn of L. squarrosulus and incubated. Growth was monitored, recorded and fruiting bodies harvested. Results of domestication revealed that mother culture was produced in 5–7 days spawned in 14 days and was available for research, and cultivation. L. squarrosulus mycelia colonized all the substrates used to varied degrees with the mycelial running time ranging from 30.4 days to 34.8 days. Mycelia running time on T. africana differed significantly from D. edulis. Fruiting bodies were successfully harvested from 38 to 68 days with the maximum number of fruiting bodies (40 ± 9.47) and highest yield of 89.03 ± 29.41 g obtained from T. africana in three flushes. This was followed by M. indica (35, 54.27 ± 14.64 g). Dacryodes edulis sawdust recorded the lowest yield (23, 32.31 ± 11.34 g). M. indica sawdust had the broadest pileus diameter (6.45 ± 1.97 cm) and longest stipe (2.83 ± 0.49 cm). In conclusion, L. squarrosulus has the potential to be domesticated in Orlu, Imo State, with T. africana sawdust as a suitable substrate for cultivation.