Comparison of Growth and Development of Pleurotus florida against Wastes from Animal Origin

Two wastes from animal origin, viz., human hairs and egg shells were evaluated for different manifestations of white oyster mushroom, Pleurotus florida. The mushroom utilized both the substrates for their growth and sporophore formation. The mycelial growth was significantly (P=0.05) faster on egg shell (18 days) as compared to human hair (23 days). The crop of mushroom was harvested in four flushes where human hairs showed higher yield and biological efficiency of mushroom (165 gm, 33%) than egg shells (155 gm, 31%), respectively. In respect of yield parameters such as yield, biological efficiency, number of mushroom fruit bodies and average weight of sporophores, both the substrates were statistically at par to each other. Utilization of human hairs and egg shells by P. florida reveals a new strategy for mycoremediation of these wastes.