EFFECT OF LIQUORICE EXTRACT AND WHEY ON YIELD AND STORAGE LIFE OF KING OYSTER MUSHROOM

Abstract

Three experiments were conducted in the mushroom project, Dept. of Hort., College of Agric., Univ. of Baghdad from 15/1/2012 to 20/6/2013. Pure culture of Pleurotus eryngii was imported from China and reproduced on WFA medium then on poilled wheat grains then on moist and sterilized wheat straw. Liquorice extract of one of the following concentrations: 0%, 1%, 2%, 4% and 6% was added to the growing mycelium. Whey solution of the following concentrations: 0%, 50% and 100% was also used as above. The results showed that the treatments with Liquorice root extract or whey solution significantly increased fresh and dry yield and the biological efficiency of the king oyster mushroom. Treatments with 6% of Liquorice extract significantly increased the fresh yield from 620.2 to 835.7 g / kg of substrate and dry yield from 63.22 to 100.94 g/kg of substrate. Treatment with 50% of whey solution significantly increased fresh yield from 620.2 to 706.2 g/kg of substrate and increased dry yield from 63.22 to 74.24 g/kg of substrate significantly. The Percentage of dry mate and the Percentage of the protein increased significantly with increase of Liquorice extract and whey concent rations. Treatment with 6% of liquorice extract reduced decay from 14.78% to 3.98% compared with water treatment.