Enhancing cultivation conditions for Pleurotus citrinopileatus: introducing a novel mushroom to Sri Lanka

W. G. Buddhika Prabhath Dharmasena, L. Anuradha Nayani de Silva, Srimathi Thilinalathawo Abeykoon Udugama, Susila Chandrani Wijeyaratne & Dona Helani Hemamala Munasinghe

Sydowia 76: 263-278

Published online on July 16th, 2024

Pleurotus citrinopileatus is an edible mushroom industrially cultivated around the world. It has been recorded in tropical countries, but not in Sri Lanka. The objective of the present study was to optimise the industrial cultivation conditions of this mushroom that are suitable for cultivation in Sri Lanka. Rubber (Hevea) sawdust was used as the substrate, and the optimum substrate moisture, CaCO3, CaSO4, rice bran contents, and effect of flour types of Glycine max, Vigna radiata and Elusine coracana in the substrate mixture was identified, as was the effect of the illuminance on the yield and the quality of the mushrooms. A moisture content of 63.0–69.7 % based on the dry sawdust weight was optimum, and addition of 1.5 kg of CaCO3 per 100 kg of sawdust was effective, while CaSO4 and flour types did not significantly affect the mushroom yield. A high yield can be obtained if the coverings of the circular faces of the substrate bags are removed completely or partially. An illuminance of 500–10000 lx provided a significantly high yield, but the quality was optimum at 10000 lx. Finally, it can be concluded that this mushroom species can be successfully cultivated in Sri Lanka.

Keywords: Pleurotus citrinopileatus, golden oyster, mushroom science, molecular characterization, domestication, sawdust substrate.

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