Articles

In Central Africa, mushrooms are critically important non-timber forest products (NTFPs), both nutritionally and economically. A strain of edible and medicinal lignicolous fungus, <i>Pleurotus</i> tuber-regium (Rumph. ex Fr.) Singer 1951 (strain 190212), isolated from tissue (sclerotia), on PDA medium, was tested on corn grain and sawdust seedling substrates and on palm oil male inflorescence (<i>Elaeis guineensis</i> Jacq.), ground corn (<i>Zea mays</i> L) stalks and grass (<i>Paspalum notatum</i> L) soaked for 24 hrs then drained for 24 hours, and unsoaked ground corn (<i>Zea mays</i> L) stalks. The highest mycelial growth rate recorded was about 0.9 cm on the PDA medium; 5.97 cm on the corn-based seedling medium and 11.95 cm on the sawdust-based seedling medium. Total mycelial invasion on the PDA medium was observed on day 10, day 14 on the corn-based seedling medium, and day 24 on the sawdust-based seedling medium. The onset of mycelial invasion was noticeable on day 3 of seeding for all treatments T<SUB>0</SUB> (control), T<SUB>1</SUB> (Final substrate based on soaked ground corn stalks), T<SUB>2</SUB> (Final substrate based on unsoaked ground corn stalks), and T<SUB>3</SUB> (Final substrate based on turf). Total invasion of mycelium was obtained at day 15 of incubation for treatments T<SUB>1</SUB> and T<SUB>2</SUB>, at day 18 for treatment T3 and at day 24 for treatment T0. The results obtained on treatments T<SUB>1</SUB> and T<SUB>2</SUB> respectively (14.95±3.12% and 15.65±1.06%) of the maize stalk substrate, lead us to believe that the strain 190212 of <i>Pleurotus tuber-regium</i> species used has adapted and requires an improvement of the medium with nitrogen-rich additives such as soybean meal. This could achieve the theoretical yield of 20% or more, according to which a substrate can be considered better in producing sporophores.