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Mushrooms – The Unsung Super Heroes- Serving this Planet Selflessly

Fungi are older than plants on earth. The researchers have found that green algae and major lineages of fungi were present 1000 (Ma) million years ago and land plants appeared by 700 Ma possibly affecting Earth’s atmosphere, climate and evolution of animals. The Earth cools when you take away carbon dioxide and the biggest cooling effect came from the reduction of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by fungi and plants. Mushrooms are fungi which may be edible, medicinal or toxic (poisonous) but in every form it is playing a hidden vital role for our mother earth and us. More than 14,000 mushroom species have been identified, about 10% of which are macro-fungi. Edible mushrooms are macro-fungi that can be seen with the naked eye in the form of fleshy fruit bodies. Fungi are master decomposers that keep our forests alive. Without fungi to aid in decomposition, all life in the forest would soon be buried under a mountain of dead plant matter.  According to Cardiff University biosciences professor Lynne Boddy. “Fungi are the garbage disposal agents of the natural world. They break down dead, organic matter and by doing that they release nutrients and those nutrients are then made available for plants to carry on growing.” Mushrooms cannot synthesize their food like plants but are saprophytic in nature i.e. they feed on dead organic matter which could also be the agriculture waste or crop residue which is unmanageable by our farmers. The mycelium (the vast root systems of mushrooms), goes deep into soil and absorb carbon dioxide from nature which keeps climate-warming carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere (some fungi can store 70 percent more carbon in the soil!) and can break some of the stored carbon into carbohydrates, which then act as nutrients for the soil. For maintaining healthy and sustainable environment; it is time to give attention to our primitive organism fungi which helped in creating the living conditions on earth millions of years ago. Mushrooms are the “ultimate recyclers” as they convert waste from other sectors of agriculture into medium used to grow mushrooms. Thus, mushrooms  playing a very import role as Unsung Superheroes, serving this planet selflessly besides providing a healthy food and future. By- Dr. Pooja D. Pandey (Ph.D. Biotechnology)  References Heckman D S,  Geiser D M, Eidell B R,  Stauffer, N L Kardos. Molecular evidence for the early colonization of land by fungi and plants. Science 2001;293(5532):1129-33. Hassan El-Ramady 1,2,* , Abdalla N , Badgar K , Llanaj X, Töro˝s G, Hajdú P, Eid  Y . Edible Mushrooms for Sustainable and Healthy Human Food: Nutritional and Medicinal Attributes. Sustainability 2022, 14, 4941

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Milky Mushroom-Indian Summer variety Benefits and Cultivation

Calocybe indica is the scientific name of Milky Mushroom. It is one of the best edible mushrooms which can be grown at high temperature or summer season either for commercial purpose or for home consumption. It replaces the non-vegetarian food. This edible mushroom has a longer shelf life (5~7 days) than other mushroom varieties like button and oyster etc. It is the first Indian variety (as name suggests indica) of mushroom to be commercialized. Nutrition- It is an excellent source of high quality protein 32.2% protein (dry weight basis) in a medium sized milky mushroom and vitamins (especially Vitamin B) and Vitamin D if sun exposed. Its high fiber content (61.1% on dry weight basis) makes it excellent for stomach related ailments. Total carbohydrates reported is 59.9% and very less crude fat 0.67% . It has nutraceutical properties and extracts of milky mushroom has shown to control diabetes in rats. Milky white mushroom also has lower moisture content (85.6%) and increased fiber content (61.1% on dry weight basis) Growing-It is comparatively easy and less expensive to grow milky mushroom than button mushroom production in tropical regions as limited infrastructure is required (cooling and heating). In most of the states it is cultivated from March to October in India. Milky Mushroom cultivation is very famous in southern parts of India. Milky mushroom can be grown on paddy straw (parali), wheat straw and other agriwaste as substrate (growing material), by simply pasteurising (selectively killing competitive fungi) throgh boiling and adding Mushroom Spawn (seeds of mushroom) with approximately 60% moisture. Maintain the bags in cool and dark place for 15 days , the desired temperature 25 to 28 degree for the mycelium (fungal white threads) is required to spread over the straw. Once this is done open the bag from top and spread a thick layer of sterilized casing layer, cover it maintain the moisture and keep in dark cool place again for 10 days or a week. After this period over, keep the bag in open cool place with enough light and fresh air, within 10 days you will be happy to see you hard work resulting in beautiful white nutritious mushroom fruiting.. BETi provides best quality of Mushroom seeds generally as per the season or on demand. To grow milky mushrooms at home you can order the mushroom seeds here https://biotechera.com/product-category/mushroom-spawn/ or you can whatsapp at 8839575166 / 8839819024 to confirm the fresh varieties available or for the commercial growing enquire for training batches or book from website https://biotechera.com Article by: Dr. Pooja D. Pandey (M.Sc., Ph.D. Biotechnology)

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Mushroom – A Soilless Modern Farming

Due to the changing climate, ever-increasing population, decreasing soil yield and water scarcity, there is a need for new means of farming, new technology and growing crops considered as super foods. Mushrooms have been used throughout the world for thousands of years, both as food and medicine. Mushroom is becoming very popular as a delicious food in our country too. It is a rich source of nutrition and covers a major part of healthy foods. The amount of fat in mushrooms is absolutely low, due to which it is a good diet for heart and diabetic patients. Along with this, it is rich in protein, mineral salts and vitamins, as well as 9 types of amino acids are found useful for mankind. Vitamin D is also found in mushrooms, which is helpful in increasing immunity, due to which it is a good nutritious food for vegetarians. About 37 metric tons of mushrooms are produced worldwide. Nowadays, about 0.13 metric tonnes of mushroom is being grown in our country per year, which is very less due to increasing demand and population. India being an agricultural country, we generate huge amount of residues, which farmers are not able to manage. This big problem can be solved by mushroom cultivation. Due to the use of traditional agricultural residues to grow mushrooms, the problem of pollution is also solved to a great extent. Mushroom cultivation does not require land or soil, they can be grown directly on the residue of crops or by making compost. Commercially, four types of mushrooms are produced in our country. The most popular of these is the button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus), followed by Dhingri (Pleurotus species), Milky (Calocybe species) and Paddy Straw (Volvariella species). Before starting their production commercially, it is more beneficial to take training from experts before starting commercial production. Although, by creating an artificial environment (control unit), one variety of mushroom can be grown throughout the year, but due to high budget and space requirement, most of the production is seasonal. Every year BETi Innovative Pvt. Ltd. conducts (https://biotechera.com) training programs on all seasonal varieties for production of all mushrooms from which mushroom growers and newcomers can take advantage. Here the details of their production method are being given in brief. Most of the production of White Button Mushroom in our country is seasonal. It is cultivated in the traditional way. Generally, manure is made by a long method, so the yield is very low. Apart from this, more yield is obtained from the compost made in an air-conditioned and controlled unit. However, the mushroom yield has increased in the last few years as a result of introduction of better agro-technical practices. Generally, the cultivation of white button mushroom requires technical skill and compost. Among other factors, this system requires moisture, two different temperatures for seedling growth (spawn run) 22-25°C, for reproductive stage (fruit formation): 14-16°C. , Moisture: 85-95 percent etc. Pleurotus is the scientific name for oyster mushroom. In many parts of India, it is known as Dhingri. There are many species of this mushroom, for example: – Pleurotus ostreatuss, P. sajor-caju, P. florida, P. sapidus, P. flabellatus, etc. It can be started with low budget in a room of 10 x 10 ft.  at temperatures between 25 to 28 degrees Celsius.  The scientific name of the species Milky Mushroom is Calocybe. It is also known as dudhiya mushroom. It can be cultivated at temperatures between 25 to 35 degree C.  And this species can also be easily grown on the agriculture waste without making compost in a small room at low cost during the summer season. Its cultivation is very popular in South India. Paddy straw mushroom’ scientific name is volvariella and in common language it is known as parali mushroom because it is usually cultivated on straw or para. Due to this reason stubble or rice growing states like Orissa, W. Bengal Chhattisgarh, it is being cultivated on a large scale. Mushroom growing is a business that requires patience and intelligent care, and a skill that can be developed through expertise and experience. If the right species are selected according to the favorable season, then seasonal cultivation of mushrooms can be done easily throughout the year. For example, button mushroom from September to March, oyster mushroom (almost all year) from July to March and milky mushroom or paddy straw mushroom from April to August. Dr. Pooja Dubey Pandey (M.Sc. & Ph.D. Biotechnology) Founder & Director BETi Innovative Pvt. Ltd. 8839575166 //8839819024

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सूखी पराली की लुग्दी से तैयार किए डिस्पोजेबल बर्तन, बढ़ेगी किसानों की आय

प्रदीप ने बताया कि पराली को पानी में डुबो कर एक से दो दिन रखने के बाद उसकी लुग्दी तैयार की जाती है। लुग्दी से आसानी से डिस्पोजेबल बर्तन तैयार किया जा सकता है। ‘आम के आम गुठलियों के दाम’ और वह भी उस पराली के लिए जो पूरे उत्तर भारत में प्रदूषण का प्रमुख कारण बनी हुई है। अब यही पराली किसानों के लिए आय का साधन बनेगी। रायपुर स्थित इंदिरा गांधी कृषि विश्वविद्यालय में संचालित एग्री बिजनेस इंक्यूबेटर में इंदौर के युवा दंपती प्रदीप पाण्डेय और पूजा पाण्डेय ने पराली से डिस्पोजबल बर्तन तैयार किया है। साथ ही, एग्रो स्टार्टअप भी शुरू किया है और किसानों को इसे लघु उद्योग के रूप में स्थापित करने के लिए प्रेरित कर रहे हैं। मालूम हो कि फसलीय अवशेष विशेषकर पराली का निस्तारण बड़ी समस्या बनी हुई है। कुछ जगहों पर किसान इसे जला देते हैं, जो प्रदूषण का बड़ा कारण बन रहा है। प्रदीप पाण्डेय बताते हैं कि ऐसे में हमने प्लास्टिक से तैयार डिस्पोजेबल को चुनौती मानते हुए पराली से डिस्पोजेबल बर्तन तैयार किया है। यह स्वत: गल जाएगा और इससे खाद भी बनाई जा सकती है। प्रदीप ने बताया कि पराली को पानी में डुबो कर एक से दो दिन रखने के बाद उसकी लुग्दी तैयार की जाती है। लुग्दी से आसानी से डिस्पोजेबल बर्तन तैयार किया जा सकता है। इसके लिए अलग से मशीन की जरूरत नहीं पड़ती। कागज के डिस्पोजेबल बनाने वाली मशीन से ही यह बन सकता है। इससे कप, गिलास, थाली, प्लेट, कटोरी भी बनाई गई है।

सूखी पराली की लुग्दी से तैयार किए डिस्पोजेबल बर्तन, बढ़ेगी किसानों की आय Read More »

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