Revalorization of degraded maguey pulquero substrate for Lycopersicon esculentum germination

•Agave bagasse presents structural chemical compounds that allow the development of the fungus Pleurotus djamor.•The development of Pleutorus djamor on agave bagasse generates changes in its structure and therefore, the degraded substrate can be recovered for agricultural use.•The recovery of degraded substrate use can be mixed with Peat moss (25:75) and reach a percentage of tomato seed germination of 85 %.•The recovery of agro-industrial wastes with biological treatments allows obtaining value-added products and generating sustainable processes. The bagasse of Agave salmiana (maguey pulquero) is a residue generated during the exploitation of the plant to obtain pulque, inulin, honey, etc. Due to its chemical composition, it can be used for the cultivation of fungi of the Pleurotus genus and the subsequent use of the degraded material "degraded substrate (DS)" as a support for the germination of vegetables. The objective of the study was to characterize the bagasse of maguey pulquero biodegraded by Pleurotus djamor as a new perspective in its value chain, and subsequent use for the germination of Lycopersicon esculetum (tomato). The DS was recovered at 60 d from the P. djamor culture, characterized physicochemically and the conformation of the plant tissue was observed by scanning electron microscopy. The DS showed a decrease in protein (4.8–3.3 %) content and fibrous fraction (54–36 %), but dry matter digestibility increased from 47 to 71 %; in addition, changes in mineral composition were observed, mainly in calcium concentration (6 %). Due to its composition, it is possible to revalue DS in the germination of L. esculetum to reduce the use of peat moss (commercial peat). The results show that up to 25 % of maguey DS mixed with 75 % peat moss can be used (25:75), reaching a germination percentage of 85 % and increasing the seedling emergence speed index from 0.96 – 1.25. Concluding that it is possible to implement a circular strategy in which agave bagasse is used for mushroom cultivation and the subsequent recovery of the spent substrate for tomato germination. [Display omitted]