Lawn Clippings for Cultivation of Oyster Mushroom

Oyster mushroom, Pleurotus ostreatus var. sajor caju (Fr.) Singer, can be cultivated on a wide variety of substrates containing lignin and cellulose. Oyster mushroom cultivation can play an important role in managing organic waste. Oyster mushroom was grown on five substrates: sedge (Carex remota L.), lawn clippings [mix of Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.), Ryegrass (Lolium persicum L.), Meadow grass (Poa sinaica L.) and Fescue (Festuca drymeia L.)], rice (Oryza sativa L. var. Alikazemi) straw, rice straw+sedge, (1:1 wet wt /wet wt) and rice straw+lawn clippings (1:1 wet wt /wet wt). Lawn clippings alone and rice straw+lawn clippings were best for fruit body production of P. ostreatus. Time to fruiting for P. ostreatus was also shorter on lawn clippings. The problem of low yield in the second flush appeared to be overcome by incorporating lawn clippings into the substrate. Protein content of the fruit bodies obtained from sedge and sedge+rice straw were higher than those from other substrates. Lawn clippings, used as a substrate appears to be suitable for oyster mushroom production. Additional work is needed to determine if changing the volume of components of the lawn clippings will affect the suitability of the substrate.