Crop residues and agro-industrial by-products from the province of La Rioja (Argentina) suitable for oyster mushroom culture

Large amounts of lignocellulosic residual biomass are generated annually in La Rioja province (Argentina). We have performed a survey to identify crop residues and agro-industrial by-products in the province, which could be suitable for oyster mushroom culture. We characterized their morphological composition and estimated a proxy of the mass that is generated annually by each of them. We have also evaluated the availability of the biomass by assessing the processing, distribution, seasonality, cost and other common uses that may compete with its application as substrate. Eight residual crops and eight agro-industrial by-products were identified, being olive and grape pomace the most abundant, followed by grape pruning, and olive and jojoba litter. These last two in addition to Prosopis bran and olive pits, did not register use as a substrate for the production of oyster mushrooms. In biological efficiency (BE) assays with commercial strains of Pleurotus species we recorded BE ranging from 28% to 72% depending on the substrate and fungal species. In a context of high quality food production deficit and nutritional problems related to it, this province has an interesting potential to introduce the production and consumption of oyster mushrooms as a feasible solution for food supply regional.