Cultivation and nutritive value of an edible Mushrrom Oudemansille species.

Oudemansiella is an edible mushroom found locally grown in Tanzania. The mushroom has never been cultivated on substrates commonly used in mushroom cultivation. In this study, paddy straw, sisal waste and sawdust were found to be suitable substrates. The substrates were supplemented with rice bran and chicken manure at levels of 1%, 2% and 5% dry weight of the substrate with calcium carbonate as a buffer. The mushroom mycelia failed to colonise substrates with no supplementation. There was a significant difference in the biological efficiencies of the mushroom grown on different substrates (P < 0.05). Biological efficiencies ranged from 9.43% in the sisal waste substrate to 145.39% in the sawdust substrate. Substrates supplemented with chicken manure had a higher biological efficiency than rice bran. There was no correlation between the lignin content in the substrates and the biological efficiencies of the mushroom. There was a correlation between the nitrogen content in the substrate and the biological efficiencies of the mushroom. Utilization of the substrate by the mushroom mycelia was analysed. There were significant differences between the percentages of neutral detergent fibre, lignin, carbon, nitrogen and volatile solids in the substrates before and after cultivation of the mushroom. Nutritional content of the mushroom was analysed with emphasis on the protein, fat and vitamin C content. Protein content of Oudemansiella ranged between 6.64 - 31.70% comparable to Pleurotus spp. and Volvariella spp. Fat content ranged between 2.05 - 5.74%. The vitamin C content ranged from 46.83 - 58.49% comparable to i'olvariella volvaceae.