Sudhir Navathe^1,, P. G. Borkar¹, J.J. Kadam¹

Considering suitability of climatic conditions and economic aspects in Konkan region of Maharashtra, cultivation of Calocybe indica was undertaken with locally available substrates viz. paddy straw, horse gram waste, wild grass (Themeda quadrivolvis), bamboo leaves and different casing materials such as vermicompost, sand + soil (1:1 v/v), dried biogas spent slurry and combination of sand +soil +dried biogas spent slurry (1:1:1 v/v). Among the four substrates evaluated for cultivation of milky mushroom, paddy straw was the best with 81.05 per cent biological efficiency followed by horse gram waste (BE 50 %) and bamboo leaves (BE 40.62 %), but wild grass (Themeda quadrivolvis) was the poorest substrate. The biological efficiency of Calocybe indica was doubled by using a combination of sand +soil +dried biogas spent slurry (BE 180.32%) or vermicompost (BE 176.28 %) as casing material. Use of dried biogas spent slurry alone also recorded 130 per cent biological efficiency but combination of sand + soil (BE 79.94 %) was inferior. From the present study it was concluded that the maximum biological efficiency of Calocybe indica (P & C) in Konkan conditions can be obtained by using paddy straw as a substrate encased with sand +soil +dried biogas spent slurry (1:1:1 v/v) or Vermicompost during summer season.

Calocybe indica, Konkan, biological efficiency, substrates, casing