Indoor Cultivation of Volvariella Volvacea (Bull.) Singer Using Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) Fiber

Mushroom cultivation applied agricultural waste as substrate due to its high cellulosic properties. Empty fruit bunch is largely produced from oil palm processing plant, posing suitable properties as mushroom substrate. In this study, Volvariella volvacea cultivation was attempted using EFB fiber. EFB pellet is an alternative substrate for cultivation. The effect of composting the substrate on the yield of mushrooms was determined. Additional rice bran and organic fertilizer in the compost were also tested for effect on the yield performance. All the cultivation was carried out indoors using 2 kg of compost. Composting the substrate contributed to faster fruiting body development that was 13 days after spawning. It was found that the EFB pellet without composting gave the highest yield of 20.37% biological efficiency (B.E.) followed by composted EFB pellet. An additional 8% rice bran and 7% fertilizer to the EFB pellet produced the best yield of 24.83% B.E. and the highest fruiting bodies number 16.67 ± 0.33. The highest average weight of fruiting bodies was recorded at 33.04 ± 0.6 g by the same samples. These formulations also were found as optimum in terms of the C:N ratio for fungal growth. Finally, the result has shown a 70% increase in yield compared to the control sample. Non-composted EFB pellet was a suitable substrate for Volvariella volvacea cultivation.