ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Hortic.
Sec. Controlled Environment Horticulture
This article is part of the Research TopicLight Application in Controlled Environment HorticultureView all 3 articles
Optimizing Pleurotus ostreatus Cultivation: the Role of Light Wavelengths and Substrate Composition on Yield and Nutritional Value
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural resources, Animal and Environment, Universita degli Studi di Padova, Padua, Italy
- 2Department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, United States
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The productive and morphological effects of monocramatic light applied during Pleurotus cultivation are not well known; a deep understanding of the light's effect could be suitable for a production protocol of this crop in a protected environment. This study investigates the effects of different light wavelengths and substrates on the production and nutritional values of Pleurotus ostreatus. Using two substrates—wheat straw (WS) and a mixture of wheat straw and cottonseed hulls (WS+CH)—the experiment evaluated productive traits, morphological characteristics, and biofortification potential under five lighting conditions: red, blue, red-blue, white, and dark. The results demonstrated significant influences of both light and substrate treatments on yield and quality. Higher production was observed under blue, red-blue and white light treatments (> 0.300 kg kg-1) compared to red and dark lights. Blue light also enhanced cap size and yield. In contrast, red light was less effective in improving production but increased vitamin D2 biosynthesis. The WS+CH substrate under red light achieved the highest vitamin D2 content (123 µg kg-1 dry weight). Nutritional analysis revealed that protein content ranged from 19.8% to 27.3%, with WS+CH outperforming WS (25.4% vs 19.8%). Glutamic and aspartic acids were the prevalent amino acids, which may contribute to the umami flavor, whereas histidine and valine levels were significantly increased by blue light treatments. In conclusion, controlled application of specific light wavelengths during cultivation significantly enhances both the morphological development and nutritional quality of Pleurotus ostreatus, demonstrating benefits beyond post-harvest treatment. Blue and red light play complementary roles in promoting fruiting body growth and biofortification. Additionally, the choice of substrate substantially influences yield and nutritional composition, underscoring its critical role in optimizing mushroom production systems.
Keywords: Vitamin D2, Amino acid profile, Oyster mushrooms, nutritional quality, LED lighting
Received: 07 Oct 2025; Accepted: 01 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 De Bonis, Pecchia and Nicoletto. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Marina De Bonis
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