Efficacy of vegimax fertilizer on the growth, yield and bioactive compounds of oyster mushrooms.
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Date
2026
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Busitema University
Abstract
Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) production plays an important role in Uganda by providing food, employment and income. However, farmers who grow mushrooms on cotton waste often face slow spawn run, late pin formation, low yield and poor biological efficiency. Although Vegimax fertilizer is commonly applied in horticultural crops, very little is known about how well it works in mushroom production.. This study examined how Vegimax affects growth, yield as well as Bioactive compounds of oyster mushrooms cultivated on cotton waste. Four treatments were used in a Completely Randomized Design: T0 (control), T1 (0.025 mL per 1L), T2 (0.05 mL per 1L), and T3 (0.10 mL per 1L). Each treatment was replicated eight times. The experiment was carried out in controlled condition with a temperature of 25-30 C and 65-70% RH. Data was collected on spawn run, pinning, cap width, stipe length, fresh yield and biological efficiency. Biochemical analysis measured total phenolics content (TPC), total flavonoids content (TFC), and DPPH radical scavenging activity. A one-way ANOVA and Tukey's HSD test at (P < 0.05), performed using R statistical software. Vegimax significantly affected growth and yield (P < 0.001). T2 produced the fastest spawn run (19.75 days), earliest pinning (5.38 days), largest caps (8.90 cm), highest yield (1.103 kg), and best biological efficiency (73.50%), compared to the control (0.786 kg, 52.42%) and T1 (0.675 kg, 45.00%). T2 also produced the highest flavonoids (29.42 mg CE/100 g), and it was significantly higher compared to other treatments (p=0.0117). DPPH scavenging activity differed significantly among all the treatments (p = 0.0004), with T3 recording the lowest values (30.22%). Total phenolics content was not significantly affected (p = 0.341). The study concluded that 0.05 mL per 1L Vegimax was the most effective concentration for improving growth, yield, and flavonoids content of oyster mushrooms on cotton waste. Higher concentrations reduced productivity, while lower concentrations gave little improvement. The study recommends that 0.05 mL of Vegimax per litre can be used to enhance mushroom production in 1.5 kg of Cotton substrate. Further research should examine cost-effectiveness and test Vegimax on other crop waste substrates.
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Undergraduate Research Report
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Mulago, B. (2026). Efficacy of vegimax fertilizer on the growth, yield and bioactive compounds of oyster mushrooms. [Unpublished undergraduate research report]. Busitema University