بهبود عملکرد قارچ دکمه‌ای (Agaricus bisporus) با تغییرات ویژگی‌های شیمیایی خاک پوششی تحت تأثیر کاربرد بیوچار

Introduction

Casing soil is an important input in the production of the button mushroom, which is usually prepared from non-renewable organic sources (peat). This study was conducted to investigate the use of biochar in casing soil composition and its effect on the chemical properties of casing soil and the yield of cultivated mushrooms.

Method

This study was conducted in a completely randomized design with 29 treatments and three replications on an industrial scale in Negin Fasl Agro-industry. Accordingly, the initial soil casing compositions including north production peat, north production peat vermicompost, cow manure vermicompost, and SMC vermicompost were prepared. Then, biochar was added to each soil casing composition to prepare experimental treatments and different soil casing treatments were prepared.

Experimental design and treatment application

The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized factorial design with three factors: type of casing soil at four levels, biochar application rate at four levels, and biochar particle size at two levels, with three replications. A control treatment (the casing soil used in the mushroom production facility).

The casing soil type factor consisted of four levels (S₁, S₂, S₃, and S₄), which were respectively S₁: mixture of north production peat and SMC vermicompost in a weight ratio of 50 percent, S₂: mixture of north production peat and cow manure vermicompost in a weight ratio of 50 percent, S₃: vermicompost mixture of north production peat and SMC in a weight ratio of 50 percent, and S₄ :vermicompost mixture of north production peat and cow manure in a weight ratio of 50 percent. The biochar amount factor consisted of four levels L₀, L₁, L₂ and L₃ with values ​​of 0, 5, 10 and 15 Weight percent respectively and the biochar particle size factor consisted of two levels Z₁ and Z₂ (0-1 and 1-2 mm particles).

Measuring casing soil properties

In this study, immediately after Step of adding casing soil, a soil sample was taken from each experimental plot. The pH and EC were measured using a pH meter and EC meter after air-drying the samples and passing them through a 2 mm sieve. The organic matter content was determined by the dry combustion method.

Evaluation of the overall performance of button mushrooms

At each harvest stage, yield parameters of first-grade mushrooms (firm texture, closed cap, and good to excellent appearance) and second-grade mushrooms (semi-firm texture, open cap, and average appearance) were measured using a scale with 0.01 g precision. Total yield was calculated as the sum of the yields of first-grade and second-grade mushrooms.

Statistical analyses

Statistical analyses and determination of correlation coefficients between measured casing soil characteristics and button mushroom yield were performed using SPSS software.

Results

The effect of biochar application on casing soil pH showed an increasing trend in all four soil types S₁, S₂, S₃ and S₄, but this increase was not significant. In all studied soils, with increasing biochar content, casing soil EC increased. The highest electrical conductivity was associated with the S₁l₃z₁ treatment with a value of 2.99 dS.m^-1 and the lowest electrical conductivity was associated with the S₄l₂z₁ treatment Which has not significant difference with most treatments containing cow manure vermicompost. Therefore, casing soil with lower electrical conductivity was more effective in increasing yield with biochar application. Also, the highest average organic matter content was obtained in the S₄l₁z₁ treatment (60.31%) and the lowest organic matter content was obtained in the S₀ treatment (21.84%). The high soil organic matter content led to improved mushroom performance.

Conclusions

Overall, the results indicated that the highest EC values were observed in treatments containing soil S₃, while the lowest EC values were found in treatments with soil S₂. Therefore, the mixtures containing vermicompost from cow manure exhibited lower soil salinity and higher yield compared to the commercial casing soil and other treatments. The application of biochar in the casing soil mixture can play a significant role in increasing the soil organic matter content. Economically, among the different biochar levels tested, the addition of 5% (w/w) biochar to the soil was effective in enhancing organic matter. Increased organic matter in the casing soil.

Author Contributions

  For this research article, the individual contributions are as follows: Conceptualization, [Author A] and [Author B], [Author C] and [Author D]; methodology, [Author B]; software, [Author C]; validation, [Author A], [Author B], and [Author C]; formal analysis, [Author A] and [Author D]; investigation, [Author B]; resources, [Author A]; data curation, [Author B]; writing original draft preparation, [Author C]; writing review and editing, [Author B]; visualization, [Author A]; supervision, [Author B]; project administration, [Author C]; funding acquisition ,[Author A]. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available. For further inquiries regarding the data, please contact author’s email.

Acknowledgements

 The authors would like to thank the reviewers and editor for their critical comments that helped to improve the paper.

Ethical considerations

The authors avoided data fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, and misconduct.

Conflict of interest

The author declares no conflict of interest.