Advances in the cultivation technology of tropical mushrooms in India

Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of macro fungi devoid of leaves, and of chlorophyll-containing tissues. Yet, they grow and produce new biomass year after year. Mushrooms are very nutritious and serve as food, tonic as well as medicine. They are rich in crude fiber, proteins and good vitamins but low in fat and calories. They possess multi-functional medicinal properties. Mushroom cultivation has great scope in India because of the cheap and easily available raw materials needed for this activity. Mushroom farming is a business which requires precision. It is friendly to the environment and is a labour intensive activity. It serves as means of generating employment, particularly for rural women and youths in order to raise their social status. It also provides additional work for the farmers during winter months when the farming schedule is light. It is hoped that the advocation of mushroom farming will become a very important cottage industry activity in the integrated rural development programme, which will lead to the economic betterment of not only small farmers but also of landless labourers and other weak sections of communities.