| dc.description.abstract | Nutrient supplements and agricultural wastes used for mushroom cultivation are important in improving
establishment and production of mushrooms. Agricultural wastes such as sawdust, grass, sugarcane
bagasse, wheat straw and maize cobs have successfully been used for the production of Kenyan wood
ear mushrooms [Auricularia auricula (L. ex Hook.) Underw.]. However, the effect of varying
concentrations of wheat bran supplements on their productivity has not been fully researched. In this
study, fresh and composted agricultural wastes were supplemented with wheat bran at concentrations
of 0, 5, 10 and 20%. The cultivation experiment was arranged in a completely randomized design (CRD)
and replicated three times. Data was collected on days to spawn run, days to primordial initiation,
primordial concentration quality and biological efficiency. The data collected was subjected to analysis
of variance using SAS version 9.1. Mean separation was done using least significant difference (LSD)
and effects were declared significant at 5% level.
Key words: Wood ear mushrooms, fresh and composted agricultural wastes, wheat bran, Kenya. | en_US |
