Review Article on Mushroom Cultivation

Abstract

Edible mushrooms are collected from the wild. They are currently threatened by deforestation. A survey was carried out and to gather information on their household consumption, income generation and to determine how their cultivation could improve rural livelihood. Mushrooms are sources of food, income and of medicinal value. The market for mushrooms continues to grow due to interest in their culinary, nutritional, and health benefits. They also show potential for use in waste management. However, as fungi, mushrooms have life cycles very different from those of green plants. The choice of species to raise depends both on the growth media available and on market considerations. Oyster mushrooms, which grow on many substrates, are easiest for a beginner. Shiitake mushrooms already have earned considerable consumer demand. Only two mycorrhizal mushrooms, morels and truffles, have been commercially cultivated. Mushroom cultivation offers benefits to market gardens when it is integrated into the existing production system. A careful analysis of potential markets must be the first step in deciding whether to raise mushrooms to sell. Mushrooms are cultivated only on small scale but efforts are underway to extend improved methods of its cultivation to the rural communities, thereby providing them with alternative livelihood and thus ease the pressure on the forests.