Yield performances and changes in enzyme activities of Pleurotus spp. (P. ostreatus and P. sajor-caju) cultivated on different agricultural wastes.

Pleurotus ostreatus and Pleurotus sajor-caju were studied for their ability to produce laccase and carboxymethylcellulase (CMCase) enzymes on different agricultural wastes under solid state fermentation. The spawns of P. ostreatus and P. sajor-caju were inoculated on different agricultural wastes including viticulture wastes, wheat straw, paddy straw, sesame straw, sawdust as well as the mixtures of these wastes with wheat bran. The carbon and nitrogen contents of substrates containing bran were the highest. The laccase activities of P. ostreatus and P. sajor-caju reached the highest values on the day 10 of mycelial growth. This enzyme activity was higher on the substrates containing bran which had high nitrogen and low C/N ratio than the other tested substrates with no bran. The CMCase activities of P. sajor-caju and P. ostreatus had two peaks on the 5th day of mycelial growth and after first flash. P. ostreatus and P. sajor-caju grown on substrates containing wheat bran had higher biological efficiencies and total yields as well as higher CMCase and laccase activities. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.