Valorization of Agricultural Waste into High-Quality Disease-Free Substrates for Calocybe indica

The sustainable conversion of agricultural residues into value-added inputs plays a critical role in modern crop production systems. The present study evaluates the potential of various lignocellulosic agro-wastes for developing high-quality, disease-free substrates for the cultivation of Calocybe indica under controlled conditions. Six substrate treatments, including biochar enrichment and microbial inoculation, were assessed using a completely randomized design, and the results were analyzed through analysis of variance (ANOVA). Significant variations (P ≤ 0.05) were observed among treatments for key growth, yield, and substrate quality parameters. The findings revealed that substrates amended with biochar and beneficial microorganisms (T6) significantly reduced spawn run period (14.3 days), accelerated pinhead initiation, and resulted in early harvesting compared to the control. Yield and biological efficiency were markedly improved, with maximum values of 1030 g/kg substrate and 103%, respectively. Enhanced moisture retention, optimal pH, and improved nutrient status were also recorded in enriched substrates. Furthermore, contamination levels, including green mold incidence, were significantly reduced in biochar-treated substrates, indicating improved disease suppression capacity.