Effect of compost compactness, compost depth, bag perforation and reversing the compost bags on yield of white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus

Abstract

Agaricus bisporus is one of the most successfully cultivated edible mushrooms in the world. Studies were conducted on the effect of compost compactness, compost depth, bag perforations and compost bag reversal to observe their influence the yield of Agaricus bisporus (Lange) Imbach. Among the treatments used to assess the effect of compost compactness, the treatment with 6’’ loose compost required the minimum number of days for spawn run (11.33 days) while highest yield obtained (16.33 kg/100 kg compost) from 12-inch pressed compost. Among the treatments with different compost depths (inches), the maximum yield (21.23 kg/100 kg compost) was achieved with depth of 18’’. The effect of bag perforations on spawn run and yield showed that the treatment with five holes per bag required the fewest days for complete spawn run, while the maximum yield (18.98 kg/ 100 kg compost) was obtained from bag with twenty holes. The bag reversed after second flush produced the highest yield of 24.62 kg/100 kg compost. This study demonstrated that minor modifications in the cultivation process including, such as changes in compost compression, compost depth, bag perforations and compost bag reversal can significantly affect the yield of mushrooms.