Recycling of jute waste for edible mushroom production

Lignocellulosic jute waste products, viz. leaves, stick and caddis, generated in large quantities from jute cultivation and industry were used as separate substrates and in admixture with rice straw in a 1:1 ratio for the production of the edible mushroom Pleurotus sajor-caju (Fr.) Singer. While growth of mushroom mycelia was hindered on jute leaves, jute stick and caddis separately, and as mixed substrates with rice straw, were found to produce a good yield of the mushroom. The chemical and mineral analyses and neutral sugar composition of the mushroom fruit bodies are reported. It was found that the efficiency of jute wastes as substrates for the production of P. sajor-caju is better than other lignocellulosic substrates, such as sugarcane bagasse and paper wastes, but more or less similar to sorghum stalk and cotton wastes.