USE OF PEANUT (ARACHIS HYPOGAEA) SHELLS WASTE ALONG WITH DIFFERENT AGRICULTURAL WASTES FOR THE CULTIVATION OF PLEUROTUS PULMONARIUS

The renovation of agro-industrial waste to valuable form such as protein containing food is dire need of world to decrease the agricultural and industrial waste material. Pleurotus pulmonariusis a type of oyster mushroom used generally as protein rich food. Oyster mushroom is commonly used as commercial level for the protein consumption. Peanut (Arachis hypogaea) shells are not easily degradable in the natural environment so mushroom cultivation can easily convert the cellulosic material into protein with less effort and time. Research was conducted on the Pleurotus pulmonaris cultivation by utilizing chiefly peanut shell along with other agricultural wastes such as wheat straw, cotton straw and Paper waste. Cultivation of oyster mushroom was observed on peanut shell substrate by mixing it with cotton waste, wheat straw and paper waste. It was found that the best yield 337.68 g of mushroom was observed when peanut shell was mixed with cotton waste with maximum biological efficiency 33.38%. While the minimum yield 156.58 g was observed when peanut shell alone was used as substrate with minimum biological efficiency 18.21%.