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Enhancing Pearl oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) performance by evaluating the influence of potassium humate and wheat straw on yield and biochemical attributes

Summary

This study examined how adding potassium humate (a natural organic compound) to wheat straw substrate affects the growth and quality of oyster mushrooms. Researchers tested seven different amounts of potassium humate over two growing seasons and found that a moderate amount (0.5 g per 500 g straw) produced the best results, increasing both mushroom yield and nutritional value including vitamin C and beneficial sugars. Interestingly, using more potassium humate was not better, showing that balanced application is more effective than maximum supplementation for optimal mushroom production.

Background

Oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus spp.) are economically significant cultivated fungi rich in bioactive compounds with health benefits including anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties. Wheat straw has demonstrated superior performance as a cultivation substrate, but potential enhancements through targeted amendments remain understudied. Potassium humate has shown benefits in conventional agriculture but its application in mushroom cultivation remains largely unexplored.

Objective

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of varying potassium humate concentrations (0.25-1.5%) combined with raw wheat straw on Pleurotus ostreatus growth, yield, and quality parameters across two growing seasons. The study sought to identify optimal treatment combinations through comprehensive biochemical profiling and establish concentration-response relationships using multivariate statistical analysis.

Results

The H0.5_RWS treatment (0.5 g potassium humate per 500 g wheat straw) demonstrated superior performance, increasing soluble sugar content by 15.3%, fruiting body yield by 18.6%, and vitamin C by 12.4% compared to control. PCA revealed the first two components explained 89.5% of variance with strong positive associations between yield-related and biochemical traits. Correlation analysis showed strong positive relationships between yield and total sugars (R² = 0.99) and biological efficiency (R² = 0.97).

Conclusion

Moderate levels of potassium humate significantly enhance Pleurotus ostreatus production and nutritional quality, with the H0.5_RWS treatment identified as optimal. Higher concentrations showed diminishing returns, emphasizing the importance of balanced supplementation over maximum input use. These findings provide practical frameworks for commercial mushroom production optimization while maintaining consistent nutritional quality across growing seasons.
  • Published in:BMC Plant Biology,
  • Study Type:Experimental Study,
  • Source: PMC12275436, PMID: 40684075
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