Antifungal activity of cultivated oyster mushrooms on various agro-wastes

Abstract

This study evaluated the antifungal activity of four fruiting bodies of oyster mushroom harvested from three agro-substrates in vitro. At three concentrations (2, 4 and 8 mg/disc), extracts discs of Pleurotus ostreatus (grey), P. ostreatus var. florida, P. cornucopiae var. citrinopileatus and P. salmoneostramineus were tested against three fungal pathogens: Trichoderma harzianum (after 2 days), Verticillium sp. and Pythium sp. (after 5 days) via the Disc Diffusion Method. The highest overall activity was by the extract disc Y2 (P. cornucopiae grown on M2 substrate; 70% wheat straw, 20% hardwood sawdust and 10% date palm fibers) and the lowest by Y1 (P. cornucopiae grown on wheat straw). The best inhibition zone was 16 mm toward T. harzianum by extract disc W2 (2 mg/disc) (P. ostreatus var. florida grown on M2 substrate), compared with 23 mm with Nystatin disc (100 U), followed 7 and 5 mm by P3 (P. salmoneostramineus grown on M3 substrate; 50% wheat straw, 30% hardwood sawdust and 20% date palm fibers) extract disc (8 mg/disc) against Pythium sp., and (4 mg/disc) against Verticillium sp., respectively