Department of Botany and Microbiology, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.

Abstract

The bacteria involved in an outdoor single phase composting using saw dust and wheat bran as substrates for cultivation of Pleurotus tuber-regium (Fr.) singer and Lentinus squarrosulus (Berk.) Nigerian edible mushrooms were identified.  Composting was carried out for 2 weeks.  The highest core and peripheral temperatures were68 and 48° respectively while the lowest temperature was 32°C.

      The highest number of bacteria in the core and peripheral compost were 1.46 x 10⁶ and 6.90 x 10⁵ cfu/ml respectively.  Bacteria isolated and characterized from the fermenting agricultural substrates include Bacillus polymyxa, Enterobacter aerogenes, Micrococcus roseus, Citrobacter freundii, Bacillus subtilois, Clostridium perfringens, Bacillus licheniformis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus cereus  and Escherichia coli.  The implication of the presence of these bacteria is discussed.