Edible mushrooms are seen as a way of increasing dietary diversity and achieving food security in Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to develop substrates using locally available agro-industrial by-products and animal manures to enhance the production of Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) mushrooms in Ethiopia. The hypothesis was L. edodes mushroom production on seven different substrates: 100% sugarcane bagasse (S1), 80% sugarcane bagasse, 20% cow dung (S2), horse manure (S3), chicken manure (S4), cottonseed hulls (S5), sugarcane filter cake (S6), and sugarcane trash (S7). Mushroom yield and biological efficiency were significantly affected by substrate type (p < 0.05). A significantly higher yield (434.33 g/500 g of substrate) and biological efficiency (86.83%) were obtained using substrate S4 while lower yield (120.33 g/500 g) and biological efficiency (24.33%) were obtained using substrate S7 than when using other substrates. The largest first flush of mushrooms was obtained on S4, and five flushes were produced on this substrate. S4 also had the highest biological efficiency, the highest nitrogen content, and the lowest C:N. Chicken manure is rich in nitrogen, magnesium, calcium, and potassium, which are crucial for Shiitake mushroom growth. Thus, substrate S4 would be a viable option for cultivating Shiitake mushrooms, particularly in regions where chicken manure is readily available. Substrate S2 also provided high yields and rapid fructification and would be a suitable alternative for Shiitake mushroom cultivation.

Food insecurity and malnutrition are serious problems in many developing countries, including Ethiopia. This situation warrants an urgent need for the diversification of food sources with enhanced productivity. This study was aimed at contributing to the food security in Ethiopia through cultivation of Pleurotus ostreatus mushrooms using sustainable and locally available agro-industrial byproduct-based substrates in parallel with pollution control. Ten substrates were prepared using sugarcane bagasse, filter cake, trash, cotton seed hull and animal waste, namely cow dung and horse and chicken manure. The effect of each substrate (treatment) on the yields, biological efficiency, nutritional composition, and mineral contents of Pleurotus ostreatus mushroom species was evaluated at the Ethiopian Forest Products Innovation Center, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The results obtained indicate that a significantly higher (p < 0.05) yield and biological efficiency were recorded from the mushroom cultivated on S2 substrate containing a mixture of 80% sugarcane bagasse, 12% cow dung, and 8% cotton seed hull. Moreover, substrate containing sugarcane bagasse mixed with cotton seed hull, cow dung, and chicken manure significantly (p < 0.05) increased the yields and biological efficiency of the mushroom. The content of protein, crude fat, fiber, and carbohydrates of the mushroom cultivated from all the utilized substrates were in the range of 17.30–21.5, 1.77–2.52, 31.03–34.38, and 28.02–39.74%, respectively. The critical macro-elements are abundant in the mushroom in the order of potassium, magnesium, calcium, and sodium. The mushrooms cultivated on all the substrates were rich in essential micro-elements in the order of iron and zinc. It was found that substrate preparation and formulation significantly (p < 0.05) improved the yields, biological efficiency, nutritive values, and mineral contents of the mushroom. The use of these by-products as substrates is sustainable and environmentally friendly and allows the production of mushroom with high nutritional value on a sustainable basis in order to enhance food security in the country.

Despite being extensively studied as a white-rot fungus, there have been no efforts to explore and cultivate the high-yielding wild Trametes versicolor strains in Ethiopia. Thus, this study was initiated to assess the growth performance of T. versicolor on various growth media. Accordingly, ten substrates (S1–S10) were formulated by a combination of agro-industrial by-products that mainly constituted sugarcane wastes and animal manures. The effect of substrates on yields, biological efficiencies, and nutritional compositions was examined. The mushroom developed a white mycelium on the growth media. T. versicolor cultivated on the S5 blend, comprising 80% sugarcane bagasse, 12% horse manure, and 8% poultry manure, exhibited the most substantial fruiting body yield (158.33 g/500 g bag) and the highest biological efficiency (31.5%), with an optimal C:N ratio of 31:1. It has shown good mycelial growth, short colonization, and short pinhead formation time compared to other substrates. S7, lacking nitrogen supplementation, yielded low biological efficiency and fruiting bodies at 11.50% and 57.67%, respectively. The crude protein, fiber, low fat, and carbohydrate content ranged from 7.46 to 14.65%, 12.89 to 18.38%, 0.42 to 0.53%, and 48.75 to 66.75%, respectively. Notably, the highest nutritional values, excluding carbohydrates, were obtained from S5, while the sugarcane bagasse had the highest carbohydrate content among substrates. Consequently, S5 emerged as a suitable medium for cultivating wild T. versicolor mushrooms, particularly in regions abundant in poultry, horse manures, and sugarcane bagasse. Therefore, S5 represents an optimal substrate for T. versicolor cultivation, offering improved productivity and nutritional quality at reduced costs.

This paper studied the chemical composition of cultivated 3, 4 and 5 year-old highland bamboo (Y. alpina) which were classified into three position (top, medium and bottom) to determined the main compositions especially cellulose, lignin, extractive and ash content. From all culms representative samples were converted to the required size of wood chips to prepared sample for chemical testing. Then the specimens prepared from bottom, middle and top portions for the three ages were used to determine the chemical properties in accordance to American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards except for cellulose test determined according to Kurschner and Hoffer method. All parameters in the experiment were expressed by percent based on dry basis. From this research, we have found small but significant increases in mean cellulose content from the base to the top of the culm at all three ages. The lignin content in Y. alpina species of bamboo is in the ranged of 23.04 to 30.03%. The mean values of the chemical constituents in 3, 4 and 5- year-old culms were 51.83, 54.94 and 49.78% for cellulose content, 28.28, 24.99 and 24.53% for lignin content, 7.8, 10.09, and 9.54% for alcohol-toluene extractive, respectively. In general, the comprehensive knowledge of the chemical components in the bamboo species will facilitate the use of the materials in the forestry industrial sector and help to enhance their utilization in the chemical and bio-chemical related industry.

Despite being one of the most studied white-rot fungi, nothing has been done to discover and domesticate Ethiopia's high-yielding wild Trametes versicolor. Thus, this study was initiated to evaluate the growth performance of T. versicolor on growth media. Accordingly, ten substrates (S1–S10) were formulated by a combination of agroindustrial by-products that mainly constituted sugarcane wastes and animal manures. The effect of substrates on yields, biological efficiencies, and nutritional compositions was examined. The mushroom developed a white, cottony mass on the growth media. T. versicolor cultivated on the S5 combination of 80% sugarcane bagasse, 12% horse manure, and 8% poultry manure had the highest yield (158.33 g/500 g bag) and biological efficiency (31.5%), which had an optimum 31:1 C:N. It has shown good mycelial growth, short colonization, and short pinhead formation time compared to other substrates. Low biological efficiency and yields of 11.50% and 57.67% were obtained from S7, which was not supplemented with nitrogen sources. The content of crude protein, fiber, low fat, and carbohydrates were in the range of 7.46–14.65%, 12.89–18.38%, 0.42–0.53%, and 48.75–66.75%, respectively. The highest nutritional values were obtained from S5, except for carbohydrates from sugarcane bagasse mixed with cotton seed hull (S8). Thus, S5 was found to be a suitable growth medium for domesticating wild T. versicolor mushrooms, particularly in regions where poultry, horse manures, and sugarcane bagasse are abundantly available. Hence, S5 is an optimum substrate for T. versicolor cultivation to improve productivity and nutritional quality at lower costs.