Journal of Experimental Agriculture International

Introduction: Mushroom cultivation has emerged as a sustainable agricultural enterprise with significant nutritional, medicinal, and economic potential. Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) is particularly valued due to its adaptability to a wide range of lignocellulosic substrates and its relatively rapid growth cycle

Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of selected botanicals on the growth performance of oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus), focusing on the time required for complete spawn run, primordial initiation, and formation of mature fruiting bodies. The objective was to identify effective bio-additives capable of shortening the crop cycle and improving cultivation efficiency so that multiple harvests ensuring high profitability per year can be achieved.

Study Design: A completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications was used across two consecutive trials.

Place and Duration of Study: The experiments were conducted at the Mushroom Research Laboratory and Mushroom Crop Room, Department of Plant Pathology, SHUATS, Prayagraj from 2021 to 2023, covering two cropping seasons: 2021–2022 and 2022–2023.

Methodology: Wheat straw substrate was enriched with 2.5% powdered botanicals. Treatments included Allium chinense, Allium sativum, Allium hookeri, Azadirachta indica, Zingiber officinale, Ocimum sanctum, Mentha sp., Solanum aethiopicum and Curcuma longa, along with an untreated control. Data on spawn run, primordial initiation and fruiting body formation were collected and analyzed using the critical difference (CD) test at 5% significance.

Results: Allium chinense consistently showed the best performance with the shortest spawn run (14.20 days), earliest primordia initiation (15.90 days) and fruiting body formation (19.90 days). Azadirachta indica (15.90, 18.05, and 22.75 days) and Allium sativum (16.70, 19.00, and 24.80 days) also performed well. Allium hookeri showed moderate benefits, while Zingiber officinale and Mentha sp. produced intermediate results. Solanum aethiopicum, Ocimum sanctum and Curcuma longa were less effective, but all performed better than the control, which recorded the longest durations (24.45, 27.15, and 32.95 days).

Conclusion: The findings confirm that botanicals, particularly Allium chinense, Azadirachta indica, and Allium sativum, enhance Pleurotus ostreatus growth by reducing crop duration and improving substrate conditions. For farmers, this means faster harvests, lower production costs, reduced crop losses and higher profitability through eco-friendly methods. Future research should focus on optimizing botanical concentrations, testing across mushroom species and exploring their role in improving nutritional quality and sustainable cultivation practices.