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Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge
Vol. 8 (2), April 2009, pp. 242-248
Indigenous technical knowledge about the use of spent mushroom substrate
MP Sagar1, OP Ahlawat
2, Dev Raj
3, B Vijay
4 & C Indurani
5
1,2,4National Research Centre for Mushroom, Solan 173 213, Himachal Pradesh; 3Department of Post Harvest Technology, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan, Himachal Pradesh;
5Directorate of Extension Education, TNAU, Coimbatore 641 003, Tamil Nadu
E-mail: mpsagar59@rediffmail.com
Received 9 January 2007; revised 10 September 2007
The study on indigenous technical knowledge (ITK) about use of spent mushroom substrate (SMS) for agriculture
revealed wide variations in age of the SMS applied in different crops at mushroom grower’s farm and it ranged between 0
month (fresh) to 36 months (old). Similarly, the quantity of SMS applied also varied between a minimum of 4.75 q to
maximum of 1,000 q/ha in field crops and 4-6 kg/plant in apple orchard. The mushroom growers as well as researchers
noticed yield enhancement and lower incidence of diseases in agricultural and horticultural crops along with changes in soil
physical conditions on using SMS as manure. On the basis of empirical data and experience gained during the process of
verification and refinement of ITKs about use of SMS as manure in crops, it is concluded that SMS should be decomposed
for at least 12 months using scientific methods of composting such as natural weathering in pits, aerobic recomposting and
anaerobic recomposting instead of disposing off in open on road side. Similarly, the doses of recomposed SMS for various
crops should be worked out on the basis of total nutrients (NPK) requirement of the respective crops and the nutrients status
of SMS. The recomposed SMS should be used singly as basal application or in combination with inorganic fertilizers.
Keywords: Indigenous technical knowledge, Spent mushroom substrate, Manure
IPC Int. Cl.8: A01K61/00, A01K63/00
The ancient societies had made remarkable
discoveries and innovations without any aid of
scientific knowledge. The ancient societies used to do
experiment with flora and fauna to cater their day to
day needs. The knowledge gained through such
experimentations transferred from one generation to
another still exists today giving birth to locally
adoptable technologies, which are termed as
indigenous technologies or traditional knowledge or
indigenous technical knowledge. Traditional
knowledge refers to the knowledge, innovations and
practices of indigenous and local communities around
the world. The creators or followers of traditional
knowledge are unaware about scientific logics behind
the practices. Indigenous knowledge can make a
significant contribution to sustainable development
and provide a basis for development of highly
adoptable and cost effective scientific innovation
provided they are documented, verified and refined by
blending scientific knowledge. The documentation
and accessibility of indigenous knowledge helps
farmers to adopt integrated farming practices. The
Centre for Indigenous Knowledge for Agriculture and
Rural Development, Iowa, demonstrated that
harvesting of crabs from the bunds of rice fields, an
indigenous food production technique in a south
Indian village, contributed significantly to the protein
intake of marginal farming household1. Collection and
documentation is first step towards protection of tacit
indigenous knowledge in the era of globalization and
Intellectual Property Right2.
High tech-mushroom units follow standard
package of practices of mushroom cultivation but on
the other hand, the seasonal mushroom growers use
quasi-standard package of practices for mushroom
cultivation mainly due to incomplete expertise, cost
effectiveness, lack of awareness and on the spot
advisory services and have come out with their own
local practices. The blending of local knowledge with
scientific one can make the mushroom cultivation
more profitable as the growers modify practices as per
their convenience. Non-availability of technologies on
a specific aspect has also motivated practitioners to
adopt their own invented practices. In mushroom
cultivation, this fact is more relevant. Thousands
tones of waste obtained from mushroom cultivation
commonly known as spent mushroom substrate
(SMS), is being dumped on the road side and __________
*Corresponding author
SAGAR et al.: INDIGENOUS USE OF SPENT MUSHROOM SUBSTRATE
243
awareness/know-how about its proper utilization is
not much available. Mushroom growers are recycling
spent mushroom substrate naturally and using it in
agricultural and horticultural crops as manure at their
own for the last few decades. They have gained a lot
of experience about it and are sharing their
experiences within a specified locality. Collection,
documentation and verification of this experience
based local knowledge about spent mushroom
substrate is of utmost importance to make further
investigations and refinement in local knowledge and
thereby to bring out scientific recommendations.
Hence, in view of the above, the study was carried
out.
Methodology
Collection of indigenous knowledge from diver’s
indigenous sources is time consuming, laborious and
costly process3. Collection of indigenous knowledge
can be attempted in many ways, viz. case study, oral
history, key informant method, observations,
participatory research methods-PRA, RRA, PAR,
etc4. However, keeping in mind the limitations of the
study, open ended structured questionnaire method
was adopted. In order to collect and document the
information about indigenous use of spent compost
(SMS), a questionnaire containing the dichotomy,
open ended questions and dummy tables seeking the
basic and specific information about use of spent
compost and its impact on soil health and physical
structure, crop yield, magnitude of insect, pest and
diseases was developed. Simultaneously, a
comprehensive list of regular button mushroom
growers was prepared covering the states like
Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Uttaranchal,
Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. Structured questionnaire was
sent to 311 mushroom growers, out of which 72
responded to the questionnaire and of which 56 were
found properly answered. Verification of collected
indigenous technologies about use of SMS was done
from secondary resources and research trials at
NRCM, Solan.
Results and discussion
Mushroom growers knowledge in use of spent
mushroom substrate (SMS) on various crops and its
impact on yield were recorded. The data reveal
that SMS was used as manure in different crops
(Figs. 1-7), viz. capsicum (Capsicum annuum),
tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill), cauliflower
(Brassica oleraecea), pea (Pisum sativum L. var.
hortense), potato (Solanum tuberosum L), ginger
(Zingiber officinale), garlic (Allium sativum L), wheat
(Triticum aestivum), paddy (Oryza sativa), maize
(Zea mays L) and apple (Malus pumila). Wide
variations were recorded in age of SMS applied in
different crops and it ranged between 0 months (fresh)
to 3 yrs old. Available literature on use of SMS show
that it should be used after suitable pre-treatments like
rapid salt leaching, and weathering in open for 2-3 yrs
for growing vegetables, fruits, saplings, ornamental
shrubs and other horticultural crops5,6
. Similarly,
quantity applied also varied between a minimum 4.75
q to maximum 1,000 q/ha in field crops and 4-6 kg/
plant in apple. Presently, there is no standard rule for
SMS application in crops. Different researchers have
applied different doses of SMS in different crops. In
Turf grass and Rye grass, SMS was applied @ 50
tons/ha7. In nutrient deficient soil, SMS was
incorporated @ 100, 200 & 400 tons (fresh
weight)/acre annually in corn crop8. In lettuce,
cabbage, cauliflower, beetroot, silver beet, beans,
potatoes and celery crops, SMS application was done
@ 11 tons/ha before sowing or transplanting as basal
application and additional 6.6tons/ha as a mulch in
silver beet and cauliflower9. SMS was used up to 320
tons/ha in crops like sweet corn, cabbage, potato,
etc10
. These studies indicate that there were no set
rules for application of SMS in various crops in the
past. Mushroom growers had noticed positive impact
of SMS on yield of different crops. Almost all the
respondents reported enhancement in yield of above
mentioned crops due to use of SMS as manure
(Table 1). Sweet corn and cabbage yield were
increased by using SMS without adding any inorganic
fertilizer, and yield of potato was increased
irrespective of fertilizer11
. Incorporation of SMS has
also showed significant positive effect on corn grain
yield12,13
. The addition of SMS as manure for
cultivation of Capsicum annuum, spring broccoli,
autumn broccoli and aubergine crops has also given
higher yield over the control14
.
Majority of the farmers (38.89%) noticed decrease
in incidence of insect, pests and diseases in the crops
manured with SMS (Table 2). About 5% farmers
reported no incidence of insect, pests and diseases. No
change in the magnitude of diseases due to use of
SMS was noticed by 11% farmers, while 5% farmers
reported increase in incidence. These view points of
mushroom growers can be verified with the help of
INDIAN J TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE, VOL 8, No. 2, APRIL 2009
244
available studies. Besides impact on yield of field and
horticultural crops, SMS also plays vital role in
disease management in crops. The application of SMS
as top dressings and soil amendments promotes a
population of antagonistic microorganisms (crop
friendly microorganism), which interfere with the
activities of pathogenic fungi. Aged composts, on
recolonization with mesophilic bacteria, heterotrophic
fungi, or actinomycetes, mitigate plant diseases as
well14-17
. Compost stimulates a natural disease
defence system in plants18-19
. The disease
suppressiveness of SMS against damping-off disease
(Phythium ultimum) was evaluated and addition of
SMS @ 25-100% to perlite significantly provided
SAGAR et al.: INDIGENOUS USE OF SPENT MUSHROOM SUBSTRATE
245
effective control of damping-off disease in tomato.
Tomato seedling survival was approximately three
folds higher (55-63%) than that of 100% perlite
medium (21%) in the presence of Phythium ultimum
Table 1 — Indigenous use of spent compost in crops and its effect
on various aspects of crop production
Name of crop Age of SMS Quantity
q/ha
Impact
on yield
6 months 100-125 Increased
6 months mixed with
FYM
125 Increased
12 months 125-150 Increased
12 months 375 Normal
24-36 months 25-37.5 Increased
Capsicum
(N=6)
24 months 250 Increased
0-6 months 100 Increased
6 months mixed with
FYM
125 Increased
6 months 100-125 Increased
2-6 months 12.5 Increased
12 months 156.25 Normal
12 months 312.5 Normal
18 months 437.5-500 Normal
24 months 250 Increased
Tomato
(N=13)
24-36 months 25-37.5 Increased
5-6 months mixed
with FYM
125 Increased
6 months 100-125 Increased
24-36 months 25-37.5 Increased
Cauliflower
(N=4)
12 months 100-125 Increased
2-6 months 25 Increased
6 months 100-125 Increased
6 months 125 Increased
12 months 312.5 Normal
12 months 250 Increased
Ginger
(N=6)
18 months 37.5-50 Increased
1 month 312.5 Increased
6 months 100-125 Increased
Garlic
(N=3)
12 months 62.5-75 Increased
2-3 months 87.5 Increased
1-2 months 125 Increased
6 months 25-37.5 Increased
6 months 150 Increased
4 months 12.5 Increased
5 months 125 Increased
7-8 months 4.75 Increased
8 months 12.5 Increased
12 months 250 Increased
12 months 12.5-37.5 Increased
12 months 11.25 Increased
Wheat
(N=13)
18 months 437.5-500 Normal
Table 1 — Indigenous use of spent compost in crops and its effect
on various aspects of crop production — Contd.
Name of crop Age of SMS Quantity
q/ha
Impact
on yield
0-6 months 100 Increased
2-3 months 87.5 Increased
2 months 50 Increased
2-6 months 4.375 Increased
4-6 Months 75-100 Increased
6 Months 150 Increased
6 Months 25-37.5 Increased
12 months 11.25 Increased
12 months 62.5-75 Increased
24-36 months 25-37.5 Increased
18 months 437.5-500 Normal
3-15 months 10 Increased
5 months 125 Increased
12 months 375 Normal
Maize
(N=15)
12 months 250 Increased
0 month 62.5 Increased
1 month 62.5 Increased
12 months 12.5-37.5 Increased
12 months 375 Normal
12 months 625 Increased
12 months 250 Normal
12 months 250 Increased
Paddy
(N=8)
3-15 months 1000 Increased
0-6 months 18.75 Increased
6 months 100-125 Increased
4 months 12.5 Increased
12 months 250 Increased
Potato
N=4)
24 months 100 Increased
0-6 months 100 Increased
6 months 100 Increased
12 months 62.5-75 Increased
12 months 93.75 Normal
Pea
(N=4)
12 months 250 Increased
1 month 5 kg/plant Normal
5 months 4 kg/plant Increased
Apple
(N=3)
8-12 months 4-6 kg/plant Increased
INDIAN J TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE, VOL 8, No. 2, APRIL 2009
246
pathogen of said disease20
. The organic amendment of
soil with SMS has been found to help in restricting
the root knot infestation of tomato plants21
. The
aqueous extract of the SMS provided statistically
significant inhibition of the pathogen of apple scab
disease (Venturia inaequalis). Similarly, the extract
was also found effective in inhibition of shoot blight
disease of red pine and the conidial germination of
Cochliobolus carborum causing disease in maize22
.
The weekly or bi-weekly application of
spreader/sticker amended SMS extract, starting from
green tip to petal fall of apple tree has also
been reported to reduce the scab affective leaf
area23
. The lowest wilt disease incidence and highest
yield of aubergine has been recorded from the plots
applied with SMS+paddy straw (1 ton/ ha +2 tons/ ha)
along with recommended dose of NPK as compared
to FYM (10 tons/ ha) and poultry manure (1.4
tons/ha)24
.
Spent compost also plays a role in improving the
physical and chemical structure of soil. The
respondents (mushroom growers) have observed that
spent compost considerably increases the level of
fertility, water holding capacity, porosity and lighter
soil texture. Majority of the mushroom growers
(27.77%) noticed change in soil texture due to use of
spent compost (Table 3). Enhancement in fertility
level and water holding capacity was also observed by
25.92% and 18.52% mushroom growers, respectively.
These results are in agreement with findings of
several researchers6,25&26
. It is also reported that
SMS improves the environment for plant root
growth by decreasing soil bulk density, increasing
aggregate stability, reducing clod and surface crust
formation, increasing the infiltration rate and
increasing the water content of the soil10
. It is claimed
that adding spent compost to unfertile soil or soil
lacking in organic matter improves the fertility level
of soil27
.
Under AP-Cess funded Adhoc Project entitled
Refinement in recycling technologies of spent
mushrooms substrate for soil amelioration and
bioremediation, the indigenous technical knowledge
about recycling of spent mushroom substrate,
collected through mailed questionnaire were verified
as above and refined through experimental trials at the
NRCM, Solan. The spent mushroom substrate
obtained from white button mushroom crop was
recomposed through various methods such as natural
weathering, aerobic recomposting and anaerobic
recomposting, and used as organic manure in different
agricultural & horticultural crops, viz. wheat
(Triticum aestivum), tomato (Lycopersicon
esculentum Mill), ginger (zingiber officinale),
capsicum (Capsicum annuum), peas (pisum sativum L
var. hortens), cauliflower (Brassica oleraecea),
brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) and onion (Allium
cepa L). The quantification of doses of SMS
application in various crops has been worked out on
the basis of total NPK requirement and found that
SMS dose varied from lowest of 18.5 ton/ha in tomato
to maximum of 32 t/ha in ginger. In the rest of the
crops, it was 20 t/ha in pea and 25 ton/ha in each
capsicum, cauliflower, onion and brijal. The findings
of the project further reveal that 12 months old
anaerobically recomposted SMS and 6-24 months old
naturally weathered SMS application @ 18.5 t/ha
gave higher yield of tomato along with better fruit
quality in respect of ascorbic acid content, firmness,
TSS etc. and lower incidence from blossom end (Non-
parasitic)and buck eye rot (Phytophthora nicotiana
var. parasitica) diseases. The 6-18 months old
naturally weathered SMS and 12 months old
aerobically recomposted SMS enhanced the yield of
capsicum along with better quality of fruits and
restricted incidence of fruit rot disease (Phytophthora
sp).The chemical fertilizers supplemented
anaerobically recomposted SMS gave superior yield
in cauliflower, brinjal and wheat, while better fruit
quality and lower incidence of diseases was recorded
in plain anaerobically recomposted SMS treatment
(without chemical fertilizer). The 12 months old
naturally weathered and 12 months old anaerobically
Table 2 — Perception of mushroom growers about incidence of
insects pests and diseases in the crops manured with SMS (N = 54)
Impact Frequencies Percentage
Increased 03 05.50
Decreased 21 38.89
Normal 06 11.11
No diseases 03 05.50
Table 3 — Changes in soil condition due to use of SMS (N = 54)
Parameters Impact Frequencies Percentage
Fertility level Enhanced 14 25.92
Water holding capacity Increased 10 18.52
Porosity Increased 02 03.70
Soil texture light 15 27.77
SAGAR et al.: INDIGENOUS USE OF SPENT MUSHROOM SUBSTRATE
247
recomposted SMS gave better yield and quality of pea
along with lower incidence of wilt (Fusarium
oxysporum f. sp pisi) and powdery mildew (Erysiphe
polygoni) diseases. In case of ginger and onion, the
12-18 months old aerobically recomposted SMS gave
superior fruit yield as well as quality along with lower
incidence of rotting the bulbs or rhizomes. The
supplementation of SMS with basal dose of chemical
fertilizers in ginger, onion and wheat crops stimulated
much more yield compared to the plain SMS and farm
yard manure. In most of the cases, the yield obtained
from SMS manured plots was at par with
recommended dose of fertilizers, with an additional
advantage of superior quality of produce and lower
incidence of diseases and insects.
Conclusion
Mushroom growers are disposing off spent
mushroom substrate (SMS) in open area and using it
as manure in agricultural and horticultural crops as
per the availability of SMS at their end with wide
variation in age and quantity of the SMS. On the other
hand, researchers had also experimented with varied
doses of SMS in crops. Both mushroom growers and
researchers noticed similar observations about
benefits of SMS application in terms of yield
enhancement, incidence of diseases in agricultural and
horticultural crops, and changes in soil physical
conditions. On the basis of empirical data and
experience gained during the process of verification
and refinement of ITKs about use of SMS as manure
in crops, it is concluded that SMS should be
decomposed for at least 12 months using scientific
methods of composting such as natural weathering in
pits, aerobic recomposting and anaerobic
recomposting instead of disposing off in open on road
side. Similarly, the doses of recomposted SMS for
various crops should be worked out on the basis of
total nutrients (NPK) requirement of the respective
crops and the nutrients status of SMS. The
recomposted SMS should be used singly as basal
application or in combination with inorganic
fertilizers.
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