Yield performance of oyster mushroom in different substrate under cold arid conditions of Kargil Ladakh

In response to the reluctance to cultivate oyster mushrooms in Ladakh due to the high cost of wheat/barley straw, a study was undertaken to explore the feasibility of cultivating oyster mushrooms using a combination of straw and leaves. The objective was to evaluate the performance of mushroom yields and associated parameters, thereby underscoring the significance of mushrooms in the region.The study was carried out at three selected mushroom growers sites as part of an On-farm trial. The substrate quality of two distinct materials, namely willow leaves and wheat straw, as well as a combination of both (wheat straw + willow leaves in a 1:1 ratio) were evaluated for cultivating oyster mushrooms. The cultivated mushrooms were harvested in three flushes, with the yield data revealing that the highest fresh weight yield was achieved from wheat straw (315g, 327g, 359 g from different locations). Contrary to this, a combination of wheat straw and willow leaves (1:1 ratio) produced slightly lower yields (299g, 300g, 302g) and the lowest yields were obtained from willow leaves alone (249 g, 273g, 281g). In this study it was found that on willow leaves the yield was low but it was economically feasible as it is the cheapest substrate to grow oyster mushroom.