Novel methods of cultivating Agaricus bisporus

Two methods of Agaricus bisporus cultivation, a hydroponic system and a millet grain substrate, were evaluated. The hydroponic trials compared a closed-ended system, open-ended system and a non-circulating system. A sucrose-based solution and a dextrin-based solution were used as nutrient source for the hydroponic system. The yield obtained from the closed-ended system was 0.11 kg/m ² for the sucrose and 0.43 kg/m ² for dextrin solutions. The yield of the open-ended system with sucrose solution was 1.92 kg/m ², while that of de-ionized water was 0.69 kg/m ². The non-circulating system, which compared different concentrations of dextrin (10, 30, and 50 g/l), produced 2.96 kg/m ² in the 30 g/l treatment which was the highest yield recorded among the hydroponic systems. For the millet treatments, different volumetric percentages of 100, 75, 50 and 25% millet grain were set. The 75% treatment produced 7.69 kg/m ² and was comparable to compostgrown mushrooms which produced 8.04 kg/m ². The 100% treatment produced 8.65 kg/m ², which is more than the 75% treatment however, due to large variations in yield between replicates due to contamination, this was not statistically significant. Both 50% and 25% millet treatments produced 4.92 kg/m ² and 2.42 kg/m ², respectively, which were less than the yield in the 75% treatment.