Where Mushrooms Take Root, Livelihoods Take Shape

Why in News

With rising interest in healthier diets, cultivation of mushrooms is gaining importance in India’s horticulture sector.

Prelims Pointers

• Mushrooms are fungi. 

• Some cultivated varieties can grow on agricultural residues such as paddy straw. 

• The growing material is called the substrate.

• Button mushroom cultivation includes the following stages.

1. Spawning introduces mushroom spawn into the prepared compost.

2. During spawn run, the fungal threads, collectively called mycelium, spread through the compost.

3. Casing adds a moisture-retaining layer over the colonised compost to encourage fruiting.

4. Pinning begins when tiny mushroom fruiting bodies appear.

• In Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) trained growers under the Skill Training for Rural Youth (STRY) initiative. 

• The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) runs the Directorate of Mushroom Research at Solan, Himachal Pradesh.

Prelims Traps

• “Mushrooms can emit light.” This is correct. Some mushrooms emit light, a property called bioluminescence. Some mushrooms also have medicinal, psychoactive or insecticidal properties. (UPSC Prelims 2023)

• “Oyster mushrooms grown on paddy straw require a casing layer before they can fruit.” This is incorrect. Oyster mushrooms can fruit directly from colonised straw. Button mushroom growers apply a casing layer over colonised compost to encourage fruiting.