Status of Milky mushroom in India-a review

Abstract

The ever increasing population particularly in third world countries is creating the problem of food and nutritional security, health and environment. The increase in crop’s production is resulting in the generation of huge agricultural waste and creating environmental pollution. These can be used in mushroom production thereby producing valuable food with better nutritional and medicinal values, employment generation and spent mushroom can be used to produce organic manure for agricultural and horticultural crops. Varied agro-climatic conditions and availability of agricultural and industrial wastes in India offer great opportunities for cultivation of different mushrooms on the commercial scale. The introduction of new mushrooms is important to meet out the increasing public appetite for new and different mushrooms. In this context milky mushroom has a great scope in our country. Moreover, Indian population being vegetarian, consumption of mushrooms would certainly augment their diet which is deficient in proteins and minerals. Mushroom consumption can thus prove a boon to growing children as well as breastfeeding mothers. Mushroom consumption has proved beneficial for the patients suffering from hypertension, high sugar, and heart problems.  Among the new mushrooms, milky mushroom is important mushroom and is gaining popularity. It is third most largely growing mushroom in India. It is grown commercially in many parts of the country. It is the most popular mushroom in Tamil Nadu. At present, the annual milky mushroom production in Tamilnadu state alone is approximately 530t worth of Rs 8.0 crore ( Krishnamoorthy, 2014). Horizontal spread of the technology is done through ICAR-AICRP, KVKs and State extension functionaries.