The cultivation of oyster mushroom (Pleurotus spaidus) is considered as good environmental friendly approach for the bio-conservation of agricultural residues into food. Pleurotus spaidus is a good source of vitamins, amino acids, proteins and also contain less amount of fats cholesterol. P. spaidus is a heterotrophic organism and require a nutritious substrates for growth. In this study we evaluate the efficiency of maize residues (stalks, cobs, leaves) along with kikar tree (Vachellia nilotica) sawdust as substrate on the growth, yield and biological efficiency of P. spaidus. Five treatments were prepared in different proportions and data was recorded after spawn inoculation to harvesting of mushrooms using different parameters like; spawn running, pinhead’s formation, number of pinhead’s, development of fruiting bodies, yield and biological efficiency. Results of this study revealed that Treatment-T1 (sawdust 100%) significantly influenced with most of the growth parameters as compared with other treatments. Similarly, Treatment-T1 (sawdust 100%) produced maximum yield (444 g) and have maximum biological efficiency (88.8%), while Treatment-T5 (maize residues 100%) produced minimum yield (263 g) and have minimum biological efficiency (52.6%). It was concluded that kikar tree sawdust is considered as potential substrate for the commercial cultivation of oyster mushroom (P. spaidus).

The diseases are severely affected multibillion-dollar agriculture industry by plant pathogens including fungi, bacteria, and viruses. Many of the diseases in plants have similar signs and symptoms, making it difficult to diagnose the specific problem pathogen. Incorrect diagnosis leads to the delay of treatment and excessive use of pre and post-harvest chemicals. Proper identification of damage, defects, diseases, and disorders is the first step in solving the issue and producing quality crops. There are many methods for diagnosing pathogens on plants. Traditional methods include symptoms, morphology, and microscopy identification. These have been followed by nucleic acid detection and onsite detection techniques. Many of these methods allow for rapid diagnosis, some even within the field without much expertise. There are several methods that have great potentials, such as high-throughput sequencing and remote sensing. The utilization of these techniques for disease diagnosis allows for faster and accurate disease diagnosis and a reduction in damage and cost of control. Understanding each of these techniques can allow researchers to select which method is best suited for their pathogen of interest.