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Abstract: Nowadays mushrooms are produced in most countries but peat is limited and not found everywhere. Even in those countries where peat is available there are pressures by different environmental groups to reduce or stop its extraction. Iran is one of those countries with a lack of black peat. Over the years a research program at the Malard Mushroom Research Center has sought alternative materials to peat. We applied spent mushroom compost as a casing but this material has two drawbacks—salinity and reduced water-holding capacity. To overcome these problems, spent mushroom compost (SMC) was leached and mixed with peat and composted azolla. Physico-chemical characteristics of all casing materials were estimated. The results showed no significant difference in yield and quality of mushrooms grown on 70% leached SMC and 30% peat with same proportion of SMC and composted azolla.
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