Successful cultivation of Blue oyster mushroom in Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh

Blue Oyster mushroom often grows in clusters on living elm trees or elm logs in forest and thus also called elm oyster. Its scientific name is Hypsizygus ulmarius where "Hypsi means "High" or "on high" and "zygus" means a "yoke" thus Hypsizygus ulmarius referring to the position of this mushroom often high in the tree. The fruiting body of elm oyster are larger, heavier and white to bluish grey in colour. It has a stipe that is off center to nearly central. Its gills are attached to stipe but unlike oyster mushroom it is not decurrent. This mushroom was initially described as Pleurotus ulmarius (Bull.) Owl. in the family Pleurotaceae but later it was placed in Tricholomataceae. This mushroom species has been cultivated successfully in natural condition of District Faizabad between the year of December 2014- January 2015. The cultivation method of this mushroom is similar to as oyster mushroom. Wheat straw was used as a growing medium for its cultivation. It was washed in fresh water and then treated with Bavistin (75 ppm) and formaldehyde (500 ppm) solution. After 16 hr, the straw was taken out and excess water was drained. Thorough spawning was done to seed the beds. Spawn bags were arranged in a ventilated room for spawn run. After comlplete spawn run, beds were opened and relative humidity was maintained between 80-90% with the help of humidifier. The mushrooms appear about 22 days after spawning. It produces more than 100% of fresh mushroom on dry weight basis of substrate.