Scientific cultivation of Blue oyster mushroom

Abstract

The global food and nutritional security of growing population is a great challenge, which looks for new crop as a source of food and nutrition. Mushroom cultivation fits in very well with conversion of crop residue into valuable food protein and is considered as potential source of income, alternative food production, provision of employment as well as for recycling of agricultural wastes. Hypsizygus ulmarius (Blue oyster mushroom) is a novel species with large fruiting body, blue coloured pinheads and high yield. This mushroom also has attractive shape and is fleshy with excellent taste. The cultivation technology of this novel species is very simple and also has very low spore content as compared to other cultivated oyster mushrooms. Due to its simple technology of cultivation, this mushroom may be proved as mushroom of the future, a cheap and perfect food in the coming years.