Evaluate the Effect of Different Types of Damaged Paper in Production of Oyster Mushroom

Author : Fahad K.Y. Al-Dulaimi

This research was conducted at the Agricultural Technical College/Northern Technical University during the period April 2025. The aim was to evaluate the effect of different types of damaged paper on the production of Pleurotus ostreatus. The damaged papers were collected from the offices of the Northern Technical University and divided into three treatments (printing A4 paper 100%, cardboard paper 100% and Mixed papers of printing A4 paper 50% and cardboard paper 50%). The results showed that the paper Mixed papers treatment gave the highest mushroom productivity with a value of 500 g/kg paper at a significant level of 5% compared to the other treatments, followed by the cardboard treatment of 430 g/kg paper and then the paper A4 treatment, which gave 380 g/kg paper. The highest biological efficiency was recorded in the paper Mixed papers treatment (79%), followed cardboard (74%) and paper A4 (70%). Thus, the study indicated that waste paper would be the most suitable substrate for oyster mushroom cultivation. This research somewhat highlights the option of using waste paper in a sustainable mushroom cultivation practice, contributing to environmental sustainability and food security.

Keywords : Oyster mushroom, Paper, cardboard, productivity, Biological Efficiency,

Received:6/2/2025 12:00:00 AM; Accepted: 7/7/2025 12:00:00 AM