Publications

Mushroom cultivation plays a crucial role in bolstering a country's economic development, offering bothnutritional and medicinal benefits. The global mushroom industry comprises edible, medicinal, and wildmushrooms, with global production being relatively low, especially in Africa due to factors such as ignorance,negligence, and marginalization. Of the 64,000 mushroom species worldwide, only 300 are edible, and merely 30are cultivated. The accurate identification of edible varieties stands at a meager 17%, possibly contributing toconcerns about poisoning incidents and hindering mushroom production. In Kenya, the domestication of twomushroom varieties, Button and Oyster, has resulted in an annual mean production of 500 tons, supplemented byimportation of 150 tons. The characteristics of mushrooms, such as anatomy, smell, and color, play a crucial role indistinguishing between edible and inedible varieties, yet research on these aspects remains insufficient. This studyaimed to explore the impact of mushroom characteristics on the performance of the oyster mushroom enterprise.Anchored on the Need for Achievement Theory and guided by a conceptual framework, the research employed adescriptive research design with a study population of 300, from which a sample of 30 growers participated.Cluster random sampling was utilized, and data were collected through questionnaires, analyzed using SPSS. Thefindings revealed a predominance of female (53.3%) over male (46.7%) participants in mushroom production, witholder individuals (66.6%) outnumbering youths (33.3%). Most growers (76.7%) had less than one year ofexperience. The study highlighted that oyster mushrooms exhibit a grey color and a pleasant smell. In conclusion,mushroom characteristics significantly influence the performance of oyster mushrooms. Recommendationsincluded the adoption of new mushroom species, the establishment of a Mushroom Training Institute, and thedevelopment of incentive schemes. The outcomes are expected to benefit policymakers, mushroom growers,scholars, and researchers, contributing to the advancement of mushroom cultivation practices