IMPACT OF USING LEACHED SPENT MUSHROOM COMPOST AS A PARTIAL GROWING MEDIA FOR HORTICULTURAL PLANTS

Abstract

More than 10 million metric tons of spent mushroom compost (SMC), which is a by-product of Agaricus bisporus mushroom, is produced in the world. Adding the compost to the soil resulted in improving the nutritional status of the plants. This study aims experiment is to study the effect of SMC on cucumber plant growth. A basic property of SMC and high concentrations of soluble salts restricted its implementation in the agricultural arena. The SMC was leached in order to reduce its salinity. Leached spent mushroom compost has less salinity while carbon and nitrogen content as well as inorganic cation components did not change significantly when compared to non-leached SMC. To study the effects of SMC on plant growth, leached SMC in rates of 15, 25, 35, and 45% were added to a sandy-loam soil medium. Cucumber plant growth rate was evaluated based on fruit number and plant height. Results showed that additions of 15% and 25% leached SMC to growing media significantly improved the cucumber plants growth.

Keywords:

• leached spent mushroom compost
• growing media
• cucumber

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support of University of Shahid Beheshti and Iranian Research Institute of Plant Protection. We thank Malard company for their assistance in spent mushroom compost preparation.