AGRICULTURAL CROP RESIDUES: ITS POTENTIAL AS NUTRIENT MEDIA IN IN-VITRO CULTURE OF OYSTER MUSHROOM (Pleurotus Ostreatus)

The disposal of agri-waste is one of the most pressing problems facing the Philippines today. Farmers have chosen to burn agricultural waste as a disposal method, which pollutes the environment and leads to climate change. A study was conducted to determine the potential of different crop residues as agar-based nutrient media for the in-vitro culture of Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus). The study was lay-outed using Completely Randomized Design (CRD) replicated three times with 7 treatments include Water Hyacinth Agar (WHA), 50% Banana Leaves and 50% Bracts Agar (BLBA), 50% Rice Straw and 50% Hull Agar (RSHA), Palm Oil Empty Bunch Agar (POEBA), 50% Corn Cobs and 50% Husk Agar (CCHA), Coconut Coir Agar (CCA) with Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) as control. The different media were prepared aseptically in the laboratory, and isolation and data collection took place 7-14 days later. Results showed that crop residues from Water Hyacinth, Banana Leaves and Bracts, Rice Straw and Hull, Palm Oil Empty Bunch, and Coco Coir were found to be a good substitute media for oyster mushroom development, as the substrate promotes oyster mushroom growth and colonization in in-vitro culture. However, since it colonized the media in such a short time, Palm Oil empty bunch may be one of the best alternatives for PDA.