ECOTECHNOLOGY FOR FULLY RECOVERY OF FRUIT TREE WASTES THROUGH CONTROLLED CULTIVATION OF EATABLE MUSHROOMS

Year by year, large amounts of fruit tree wastes, such as etiolated leaves, woody wastes (old branches, dried trunks, unproductive shoots) resulting from annual pruning or cleaning of fruit trees are produced in many orchards becoming in the end huge sources of pollution. The main objective of this research work was focused on the development, implementation and testing of experimental model for ecological recycling of fruit tree wastes through controlled cultivation of the eatable mushroom species Lentinus edodes, Pleurotus ostreatus and P. eryngii on substrates made of leaves, branches and trunks of apple, plum and apricot trees. All three mushroom species were used as pure culture to be grown on different variants of substrates made of fruit tree wastes, namely etiolated dried leaves, shoots and trunks as well as distilled marc of fruits after their use as raw matter for alcohol fermentation and distillation. All substrates were steam sterilized at 123 o C, 50 min, and after that they were inoculated with the pure mushroom cultures. After 30- 50 days of incubation at 23 o C, depending on the mushroom species, the first buttons emerged and after one or two days they developed the mature fruit bodies. After a period of 120 days mushroom growing on the substrates made of fruit tree wastes the results showed a fast development of Pleurotus species, respectively P. ostreatus was faster than P. eryngii, and had registered a better productivity than L. edodes. The implementation of such an experimental model of green technology will determine the full recovery of all fruit tree wastes produced in orchards (leaves, branches, wood stems) and their fast recycling through the natural food chains of the whole organic matter. Inside the newly formed food chains, the fruit tree wastes were the basic link on which the eatable mushroom species, such as L. edodes, P. ostreatus and P. eryngii that decompose lignin, hemicellulose and cellulose have synthesized natural organic compounds through the carpophores that were finally used as food products by the human consumers.