2021, Vol. 9, Issue 4, Part A

author(s)
Supriya Pandey, Rajendra Prasad, Sandeep Kumar and Mahipal Singh

abstract
Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus florida) is commonly called as Dhengri in India because of its oyster like shape. Many fungicides and pesticides are using in the production of spawn and fruiting bodies of edible mushroom. The high dose of such chemicals although used for sterilization of substrate and control of pathogen and pest but have issues of side effects. These are highly toxic and hazardous to the environment and human health. In present study some botanical extracts viz., neem (Azadirachta indica) and Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus) were tested in-vitro conditions on the mycelial growth of P. florida and observed for any reduction or enhancement. Experiment was carried out by Poisoned Food Technics. The results showed that neem extract enhanced the mycelial growth of P. florida, however, Eucalyptus extract shown lesser effect on growth of fungal mycelia. Maximum growth of mycelia of P. florida were observed after nine days by neem leaf extract of 2% followed by 4% as compare to the control without any extract. The both concentrations i.e., 2% and 4% of Eucalyptus extract inhibited the mycelial growth of P. florida, respectively. The neem leaf extract could be a good biological alternative that can be used for sterilization of substrate for the production of edible mushroom.