Crop cycle time, yield and protein content of Lentinus squarrosulus produced on some organic wastes.

Agricultural production and the agro-food industry furnish large volumes of solid wastes, which when unutilized could lead to environmental pollution. An attempt was made to utilize wastes from the oil palm and timber industries for the production of Lentinuss quarrosulus, a Nigerian edible mushroom. Mahogany sawdust (MSD), Gmelina sawdust (GSD), oil palm fruit fibre (OPFF) and oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB), significantly influenced crop cycle time, yield and protein content of the mushroom. The shortest crop cycle time achieved (47 days) was with Gmelina sawdust, while oil palm fruit fibre produced mushrooms with the highest protein content (27.42%). Although, there were no significant differences (p > 0.05) in yield of mushrooms produced with oil palm fruit fibre and mahogany sawdust, oil palm fruit fibre gave the highest and most consistent yields. Considering the desirable characteristics of yield and protein content, oil palm fruit fibre proved the best waste for commercial production of L. squarrosulus.