Effect of Yucca schiedigera bagasse as substrate for oyster mushroom on cultivation parameters and fruit body quality

Yucca bagasse (YB) was evaluated as cultivation substrate for Pleurotus ostreatus. The effect of YB on physical and morphological properties and on chemical composition of fruit bodies, was studied with three strains. A factorial design was used to study the effect of strain and different proportions of yucca bagasse in the substrate. All strains consistently showed higher yields on wheat straw (WS) substrates and YB:WS 25:75 (average biological efficiency values of 143% and 115%, respectively). Pileus width and length was found to be influenced by both, strains and substrates (p<0.05) but stipe length was significantly influenced only by strain. Both, whiteness (WI) and yellow indexes (YI) were significantly affected only by strain. Using PCA, an important relationship between textural parameters and chemical composition of fruit bodies was established in this study and that strain and substrate are important for both texture and chemical composition of fruit bodies.

Keywords: Yucca schidigera, Pleurotus, texture, color.