ABSTRACT

The aim of this research is to evaluate the effects of light intensity, casing layers, and layering styles on the production of the culinary-medicinal mushroom Agaricus brasiliensis in Turkey. The experiments were designed in split−split plots and replicated twice. Three different light intensities−I₁, 350 lux; I₂, 450 lux; and I₃, 750 lux−were used in main plots as environmental factors. A mixture of 4 different casing layers− peat (100%), peat−perlite (75%:25%), peat−clinoptilolite (75%:25%), and peat−perlite−clinoptilolite (60%:20%:20%)−were used at split plots and at split plots. S₁, a flat, 3-cm casing layer; S₂, a flat, 5-cm casing layer; and S₃, casing soil ridges 10 cm wide × 4 cm high, 10 cm apart, were deposited on top of 1-cm overall soil casing layers. At the end of the harvest phase, the total yield was estimated per 100 kg of substrate. Biological efficiency (percentage) was determined from the fresh weight of the mushrooms and the dry weight of the compost at the end of the harvesting period. The highest total yield (7.2 kg/100 kg compost) and biological efficiency (27.63%) were achieved from I₂ × peat−perlite−clinoptilolite × S₂ treatment. Influence of light intensity, casing layer, layering style, and their interaction in treatments with color values (L*, a*, b*, chroma*, and hue*) also were examined. It has been shown that within color values, chroma* (saturation) values of mushroom caps were affected by light intensity, casing layer, and layering style treatments and light intensity × casing layer treatments and the brightness of mushroom caps tended to increase as light intensity increased.