EFFECT OF WHEAT BRAN AND GRAM FLOUR ON YIELD AND BIOLOGICAL EFFICIENCY OF WHITE OYSTER MUSHROOM [PLEUROTUS FLORIDA (MONT.) SINGER]

– Mushrooms are magic living organisms that need very few things to grow. They are low in calories but rich in protein and are nutritionally placed between meat and vegetables and hence may be called vegetable meat. The addition of supplements with substrate has been a common practice for enhancing mushroom yield and nutritional value. The present experiment was carried out to find a suitable supplement combination for the cultivation of Pleurotus florida . Two supplements, namely wheat bran and gram flour, were mixed with wheat straw in different concentrations to enhance mushroom growth. The result of the present experiment revealed that supplementation with 20% wheat bran+5%gram flour (T1) enhanced yield significantly in all three flushes (176.27g) and biological efficiency (188.24 %) as compared to control and other treatments. The cost-benefit ratio was also superior in the case of 20% wheat bran + 5%gram flour (T1) (6.86:1).