|
Abstract: Mushrooms are in great demand today, both in national and international markets. In fact, in some western countries, mushroom industries have come up as major fermentation industries converting cellulosics into valuable protein and their potential to meet the challenges of protein malnutrition in underdeveloped countries are better recognised today (Flegg and Maw, 1976; Kurtzman, 1975). In India, the mushroom industry is still in its infancy and more or less localised to Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir States. This is chiefly because mechanised mushroom farming would be hard to realise in the near future in a developing country like India and, therefore, mushroom cultivation has to be localised only to areas where the natural climatic conditions are nearest to the optimum required for the type of mushrooms to be cultivated. To extend its cultivation, new areas with mushroom growing potential will have to be identified and suitable methodology developed. Exploration of the natural climatic conditions of such areas and utilization of available agricultural wastes may help to work out a low input technology suitable for building a thriving cottage industry in the region and in the country as a whole.
Full text download: ISMS subscribers
ISHS members & pay-per-view
Translate:
   |