Compilation:
Dr.
Dr.
Dr.
Dr.
Published by:
Typeset & Printed in:
ii
(Dr. S. Ayyappan)
Secretary, DARE & DG, ICAR
iii
vi
vii
viii
Foreword
iii
Preface
Preamble
vii
1.
Scenario
2.
DMR - 2030
3.
Harnessing Science
4.
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5.
Annexure
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ix
Vision 2030
in coming years. In fact, China that was producing just 60,000 tons of
mushrooms in 1978 is now producing around 18 million tons of mushrooms,
contributing almost 70% of the total world mushroom production.
In India, the mushroom production
systems are of mixed type i.e. both
seasonal farming as well as high-tech
cultivation (Table 1). Mushroom
production in the country started in the
70s and growth rate, both in terms of
productivity as well as production, has
been phenomenal. In seventies and
Years
eighties button mushroom was grown
Fig. 2. Mushroom production and
as a seasonal crop in hills, but with the
productivity in the country
development of the technologies for
environmental control and increased understanding of the cropping systems,
mushroom production shot up from 5000 tonnes in 1970 to over 1,20,000
tonnes in 2011.
Production
Productivity
100
20
80
15
60
10
40
20
25
120
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
Location
1.
Agro-Dutch Foods
Lalru, Punjab
2.
Himalaya International
EOU/Domestic
EOU
3.
Inventa Foods
Hyderabad
4000
EOU
4.
Flex Foods
Dehradun
2500
EOU/domestic
5.
INKAA Foods
Nalagarh (HP)
1500
Domestic
6.
Balaji Mushrooms
Baramati (MS)
1500
Domestic
7.
Weikfield Mushrooms
Pune (MS)
1500
Domestic
Production
capacity (TPA)
40000
Status
EOU
Vision 2030
Fig. 3. Mushrooms under cultivation in India (L to R): Button, Milky, Oyster and
Paddy straw mushroom
northern and central parts, wheat straw is widely used whereas in the eastern and
southern parts, paddy straw is used which is available in abundance. Sugarcane
bagasse is used in western, central and some other places. Poultry manure, an
important component meeting the nitrogen needs, is available throughout the
country, which is generally used in short method of composting. Growers
following long method of composting generally use chemical fertilizers in place
of poultry manure for balancing the nitrogen requirement in the compost. Poultry
manure is a carrier of nematodes and competitor moulds and hence, is not
preferred for unpasteurized compost. Haryana state farmers have successfully
developed low cost technologies (involving thatched structures, bed cultivation
and prolonged cropping using compost prepared by long method) for seasonal
cultivation and contribute over 7000 tons of mushrooms annually.
Casing soil, a material required to be overlaid on the compost after its
colonization with mushroom mycelium, is the second important input in button
mushroom growing. Peat moss, globally used as casing material, is not available
in our country and alternatives like decomposed Farm Yard Manure (FYM),
spent compost, coir pith, etc. are in use. DMR, Solan has developed technologies
for compost and casing production using locally available raw materials.
Environmental friendly composting technologies have also been standardized at
the Directorate.
Integrating mushroom cultivation in the existing farming systems will not
only supplement the income of the farmers but also will promote proper recycling
of agro-residues thereby improving soil health and promoting organic agriculture.
Besides, mushrooms can contribute in achieving nutritional and social security in
our country. Some of the mushrooms like oyster, paddy straw and milky
mushroom have simple cultivation technology. The cultivation methods for these
sub-tropical/tropical mushrooms and others like Lentinula, Flammulina,
Auricularia, Agrocybe, Stropharia, Macrocybe, Hericium, Ganoderma, etc. have
also been standardized.
There is no organised assistance available for marketing of mushrooms in
India. Every export-oriented unit has its own individual arrangement for
marketing, and the mushrooms are preserved in brine and canned in large
Vision 2030
containers of 3 - 5 litres (or bigger) capacity for export. Government support for
mushroom marketing is not available in India, nor is any special/preferential
quota available in the European Union (as is available to certain other nations).
Direct export to USA/Germany under some sort of arrangement is one alternative
that is presently being utilized. There are no processing units devoted to provide
support for this industry, except for some limited support by NAFED to seasonal
growers in the north-western plains of India. Such support is available to
mushroom growers in China, where they are able to process their produce on a
large scale at rail-accessible points for export. Finance at lower interest rate, and
inputs for infrastructure at fair prices, can also help this industry to keep down
the cost of cultivation. Lower production cost, together with higher productivity,
can help the industry to become globally competitive. A long-term strategy has
to be developed to help the industry.
As India itself is a big market, vigorous extension activities are required to
make the people aware of mushrooms, which can help in developing market in
India itself. This is the key of the success of Chinese mushroom industry as they
consume more than 80% of mushroom produced by them.
Vision 2030
Objectives
To develop print, audio, video material and ICT based model for knowledge
dissemination.
Functions
Vision 2030
The Gene bank for procuring authentic cultures from the reputed national
and international culture collections and maintaining exotic and indigenous
germplasm.
Vision 2030
Identification of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for yield and other traits and
MAS in mushroom breeding.
Techniques for rapid single spore isolation and intermating for inter and
intra-specific hybrids.
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12
Vision 2030
Search for newer and improved casing materials, which may be made into
ready to use thin sheets or rolls for easy and uniform application.
Designs for small, medium and large integrated as well as specialized units
for composting, processing and spawn production.
Efficient low-cost region-specific growing systems for seasonal and roundthe-year commercial cultivation.
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Bringing newer species like king oyster, blue oyster, Kabul dhingri under
domestication.
Efforts are needed to improve the existing technology for consistent and
higher yields.
Utilization of SMS for white button mushroom casing and vermi composting.
14
Vision 2030
Use of microbes and other organisms for converting the spent substrate into
casing, manure or products for bioremediation.
16
Vision 2030
Post-harvest Technology
Increased productivity demands proper post harvest infrastructure to enhance
shelf life and marketability. Mushrooms are delicate and highly perishable in
nature and shelf life is not more than 24 hours. Short shelf life of mushroom
poses unique problems in packaging, marketing and preservation of mushrooms.
In developed countries, it is the state of the art technology, which is in practice
like modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) or controlled atmosphere packaging
(CAP). However, in our country, the retail packaging for fresh marketing is
highly crude and primitive and is done in hand sealed polypropylene bags.
Similarly, canning in tin cans for button mushrooms and sun drying for other
mushrooms are the most common methods of preservation employed in India.
The following aspects will have to be given greater attention.
Low cost drying technology for the domestic and state-of-the-art technology
for international market.
18
Vision 2030
19
know-how on mushrooms, who, in turn, will train the prospective growers and
entrepreneurs. DMR will also impart training to personnel from big commercial
units and international agencies. The Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), Agricultural
Universities and State development departments will directly train the growers.
DMR may also train the managers and senior technicians to be employed in the
big mushroom units. The emphasis for TOT programmes will be on the following
aspects:
Close association with self-help groups and NGOs for active transfer of
mushroom production technology.
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Vision 2030
O face the global challenges all available expertise and resources in the
country as well as outside need to be utilized to make Indian Mushroom
Industry competitive in the world market. In this direction stronger research and
production linkages with research organizations, industries, progressive farmers
and other organizations will be needed.
International collaboration will be essentially needed to achieve the objectives
set in the programme in areas of germplasm conservation and maintenance, genetic
improvement through gene transfer, genetic manipulations, protoplast fusions
and other biotechnological aspects. Similarly DNA fingerprinting, allele mining,
gene mapping and QTL analysis may have to be adopted for the identification of
genetically variable germplasm and precision breeding, for which collaboration
with international organisations will have to be ensured.
In order to keep pace with the advancement in spawn production technology
the Directorate may have to develop linkages with some multi-national spawn
producing companies like Sylvan Spawn Laboratory, USA; Amycel, USA;
Campbells Fresh, Canada, etc.
Besides the discipline-oriented programmes, inter-disciplinary research will
be the hallmark of the future research. Research programmes will be implemented
through time-bound and result-oriented projects. Though basic and strategic
research will be the main responsibility of the Directorate, applied research shall
be carried out in the form of a network programme with regional stations,
agricultural universities and other collaborating institutions. So far as the assessment
of location specific technologies are concerned, the AICRP will continue to play
its role; suitable strengthening of the scheme will be called for by way of opening
new stations and strengthening the existing ones to meet the future challenges. It
is expected that mushroom growing will spread far and wide in the country and
it will be intensified in the traditional mushroom growing areas. Following
strategies will be required to achieve the goals set in different programmes.
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Besides the regular projects of DMR, contract research for specific timebound programmes shall be introduced in future. Keeping in view the future
funding requirements, adhoc schemes funded by national and international
scientific bodies will have to be implemented.
While research establishments like DMR are mandated to provide research and
technical inputs, development is an area where other organisations are also required to
play their part. Some key developmental programmes which require due attentions
in coming years in our country are the following:
Supply of spawn run substrates in urban and peri-urban areas for home
cultivation of mushrooms.
Technical guidance and financial support to the small scale and export oriented
processing industries.
22
Vision 2030
23
Approach
Performance Measure
Increase in species-wise
production
Increase in mushroom
consumption in rural and urban
areas
24
Vision 2030
Goal
Approach
Performance Measure
Promoting integrated
organic farming
Development of indigenous
mushroom products
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