Effects of Cultivation Substrates Containing Tea Stalks on Growth and Quality of Pleurotus nebrodensis

Utilization of tea stalks as replacement for other ingredients in the substrate for cultivation of Pleurotus nebrodensis was studied. The mycelial vitality, primordia formation, and anutrient yield of the mushrooms grown under different formulations of medium were monitored. The results showed that the mycelial vitality and fruiting of the mushrooms were inferior to those of control when tea stalks were included in the culture medium. The yield, biological efficiency, crude protein content, and total amino acid content of the fruiting bodies were all lower than those of control. They decreased with increasing amount of tea stalks. On the other hand, the contents of crude fat, crude fiber, ashes, Fe or Zn, and the ratio of essential amino acids to nonessential amino acids of the fruiting bodies were higher than those of control, in the ranges of 0.08%-0.57%, 0.15%-1.3%, 0.32%-2.45%, 0.28%-0.63%, 1.21%-4.29 ug/hg, and 0.02%-4.45%, respectively. They increased with increasing tea stalk addition. Consequently, the potential of tea stalk utilization in cultivating P. nebrodensis depended on the overall balance on the quality of the resulting mushrooms as well as an optimized substrate formulation.