Mushrooms
are gradually becoming popular as they are rich in minerals and vitamins and
very low on fat and sugar. Fresh
mushrooms have very limited life and hence they need to be consumed within few
hours. But processing and canning increases their shelf life to few months.
It
is also known to have medicinal values and certain varieties of mushrooms can
inhibit growth of cancerous tumor. The productivity of mushroom is higher than any crop. Food, nutritional
and medicinal values apart, mushroom growing can be efficient means of waste disposal
(agricultural, industrial and family wastes), since it can use the wastes as
medium of growth. Hence, it could be considered as eco-friendly.
In
India only three types, namely, button, oyster and straw mushrooms are
commercially cultivated. Button mushroom accounts for 90 percent of India's
production of mushrooms. About 38
percent of the total world production of mushrooms is button mushroom. Further,
mushroom growing is highly labour intensive and requirement of land are is
comparatively low.
Button
Mushroom (Agaricus spp.) is the most
popular mushroom variety grown and consumed the world over. In India, its
production earlier was limited to the winter season, but with technology
development, these are produced almost throughout the year in small, medium and
large farms, adopting different levels of technology. The species being grown
in most farms is the white button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) belonging
to Class Basidiomycetes and Family Agaricaceae.
The humongous fungus among us develops in dark,
mysterious ways without a root to grow on. As a matter of fact it doesn't even
produce a single leaf, pretty flowers, or seeds but prefers to grow alone in
the dark. You've probably guessed we're describing a favorite food that is
available in a host of varieties belonging to the mushroom family.
