Cultivation of the medicinal mushroom G. lucidum leaves a residual substrate with a matrix that is bound
by the mycelium net and presents the necessary mechanical properties to be cut and hollowed. This
material was used to make biodegradable containers (Ganocetas) which were evaluated for growing
horticultural seedlings. Residual substrates from G. lucidum cultivation on sunflower seed hull, rice straw
and rice husk agro-residues were used for making Sunflower Seed Hull-based Ganocetas (SFG) and Rice
agro-based residue Ganocetas (RG).
Utilization of SFG did not affect the germination in 15 of the 17 plant species tested and it improved
seedling growth and/or vigor in 31% of them. A good porosity in these containers produced a cooling
effect which reduced the maximum temperature by up to 3 ◦C on the warmest days.
In the second assay, we evaluated both types of Ganocetas (SFG and RG) in tomato seedling transplantation,
seedling establishment and tomato production. On transplanting day, seedling growth and
vigor in SFG did not differ from the control, whereas both parameters were reduced in RG. Results of
seedling establishment under ideal conditions indicated that growth, flowering and early fruit production
of tomato using SFG was comparable to the control, whereas plants were reduced in all three parameters
when using RG. Tomato production yields were similar between SFG and the control treatments;
moreover, physicochemical analysis predicts a promising performance in transplanting and growth of
SFG under stress conditions. However, in spite of presenting comparable physical and chemical properties,
tomato production using RG was lower. More research is needed to look for possible allelopathic
substances coming from the biodegraded lignocellulosic matrix in these RG containers.