Nutritional requirements of Volvariella speciosa (Fr. Ex. Fr.) Singer, a Nigerian edible mushroom

Nutritional requirement studies were carried out on synthetic and semi-synthetic media, as well as different agro-industrial wastes, to evaluate vegetative growth of Volvariella speciosa (Fr. Ex. Fr.) Singer, a Nigerian edible mushroom. The optimum temperature that supported the best growth of this fungus was 30 °C while the optimum pH was 6.0. The moisture contents were observed to vary with different substrates. The best vegetative growth was obtained at 40% moisture content, on sawdust, while it was 80% on Andropogon gianus straw. Among the different media used, the best mycelial extension (92.0 mm) was observed on semi-synthetic, potato dextrose agar while the least growth (74.0 mm) was recorded on laboratory formulated sorghum agar. Maize and A. gianus straw stimulated the best mycelial extension (92.0 mm) while fresh and fermented horse dung supported moderate growths of 70.0 and 67.0 mm, respectively. The least growth (36.0 mm) was observed on fresh cow dung. These findings are discussed in relation to the cultivation of V. speciosa in Nigeria.