Natural bioagents in casing mixture for yield improvement of Agaricus bisporus

Abstract

Agaricus bisporus (Imbach) commonly known as white button mushroom, is the most widely accepted food globally with nutritional and medicinal properties. In the present study, different natural bioagents viz., neem (Azadiracta indica), castor (Ricinus communis), natural vinegar, Bacillus thuringiensis commercial formulation Dipel-8L and Beauveria bassiana commercial formulation Biojaal-1.15% SC were evaluated in vitro to record their effect on mycelial growth of A. bisporus. maximum radial growth (57.1mm) and linear growth (31.1mm) were recorded in neem @0.5% on the potato dextrose agar medium and in compost-filled tubes, respectively. Further, field studies were conducted to evaluate different concentrations ranging from @0.5% to @4.5% of these natural bioagents on the quality and yield of A. bisporus. The cultivation trials of A. bisporus recorded a maximum number of fruit bodies (1606) and maximum yield (19.91 kg/100kg of compost) in neem powder treatment @1.5%. The maximum percent increase in yield over control (41.91%) was also recorded in neem powder treatment @1.5%. These results indicated that incorporating neem powder @1.5% in casing mixture improves the yield of A. bisporus and is preferred over synthetic chemicals as it is ecofriendly and reduces environmental pollution.