Knowledge and Documentation of Wild Edible and Non-Edible Mushrooms Used by the Local Communities of Jharkhand

Abstract

The wonderful world of fungi has always fascinated the human race, by their appearances and characteristic nature. The word mushroom is used for fungi and moulds in French. Since ancient times, mushrooms have been regarded as a special kind of nutritious food. They are diverse in both their growing habitats as well as their medicinal and physiological benefits. Mushroom foraging has been practiced by humans for the same reason. The forest provides large and diverse options to the villagers in the form of varieties of wild edible and non-edible mushrooms. Wild edible mushrooms are very important in the food security of tribal groups throughout Jharkhand. The aim of this study is to produce a prior mushroom checklist based on the collection and document the edible and non-edible mushrooms from Jharkhand state which are collected during the rainy season by tribals for their livelihood.