Performance of oyster mushroom () on paddy straw, water hyacinth and their combinations.

This study aimed to investigate the performance of oyster mushrooms on different substrate combinations, including rice straw alone, rice straw and water hyacinth (1:1), rice straw and water hyacinth (1:2), and rice straw and water hyacinth (2:1), in Pokhara, Kaski from April to June in 2022. A Completely Randomized Design with four replications was used to analyze the growth and yield parameters of the four different substrate combinations. The data were analyzed using R-Studio. Highly significant results (P > 0.001) were found in all growth and yield parameters. The best response in terms of days to colonization, pinhead formation, and total crop duration was observed with rice straw alone (11.5, 13.25, and 54.00 days, respectively). The stipe length, pileus diameter, and fruiting body per bunch had their highest values (3.44 cm, 5.21 cm, and 34.50 cm, respectively) with rice straw alone, followed by rice straw and water hyacinth in a 2:1 ratio (3.05 cm, 4.63 cm, and 34.25 cm, respectively). The maximum total fresh yield of mushrooms (1.53 kg with 153.16% BE) was observed for rice straw alone, followed by rice straw and water hyacinth in a 2:1 ratio (1.17 kg with 116.5% BE), while the poorest yield (0.76 kg with 76.38% BE) was observed in the case of rice straw and water hyacinth in a 1:2 ratio. The highest profitability was observed for mushroom production using rice straw alone with a B:C ratio of 1.24, followed by using rice straw and water hyacinth in a 2:1 ratio (1.03), while the lowest B:C ratio was observed for rice straw and water hyacinth in a 1:2 ratio (0.74). Overall, the best treatment was found to be rice straw alone, followed by rice straw and water hyacinth in a 2:1 ratio. These results suggest that using rice straw alone or in combination with water hyacinth in a 2:1 ratio can be an effective strategy for oyster mushroom cultivation.