CULTIVATION OF PLEUROTUS SAJOR-CAJUIN DIFFERENT PASTEURIZED SUBSTRATES

ABSTRACT CULTIVATION OF PLEUROTUS SAJOR-CAJU IN DIFFERENT PASTEURIZED SUBSTRATES. This research was aimed at evaluating the viability of the Pleurotus sajor-caju crop using various residues generated in the region of Pelotas, state of Rio Grand do Sul, Brazil. The substrates were formulated with sugarcane bagasse, elephant grass and rice straw, separate and mixed, for a total of 7 treatments. The substrates were moistened for 24 hours, pasteurized at 100º C for 30 minutes, and then seeded with a 3% spawn of P. sajor-caju (PSC96/03) and placed into 1 kg polyethylene bags. The incubation was carried out at 25-28º C, for 25 days, and the harvest took place in two flushes after periods of 45 days each. The mushrooms were collected and weighed for the evaluation of the fresh mass (g), productivity (%) and biological efficiency (%). The results showed that the rice straw produces more in the first flush and the elephant grass more in the second, while the overall totals for fresh mass and productivity of both flushes showed that each of these materials was, separately, a viable substrate for the cultivation of P. sajor-caju mushrooms. The sugarcane bagasse proved to be the least indicated substrate for the cultivation of this mushroom by means of this technique.