Shanta Sahu, Ph.D, Final year, Department of Plant Pathology,

Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur (C. G.)

Dr. Subuhi Nishad, Programme Officer NSS (Girls Unit),

College of Agriculture, IGKV, Raipur (C.G.)

Madhu Kumari Paikra, Ph.D, Final year, Department of Entomology,

Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur (C. G.)

Srishti Singh Parihar, Ph.D, Final year, Department of Vegetable Science,

Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur (C. G.)

Introduction

In India the mushroom production systems are mixed type i.e. both seasonal farming as well as high-tech industry (Fig. 1.1 and 1.2). Mushroom production in the country started in the 70s but growth rate, both in terms of productivity as well as production has been phenomenal. In seventies and eighties button mushroom was grown as a seasonal crop in hills, but with the development of the technologies for environmental controls and increased understanding of the cropping systems, mushroom production shot up from mere 5000 tonnes in 1990 to over 1,00,000 tonnes in 2010. Today, commercially grown species are button and oyster mushrooms, followed by other tropical mushrooms like paddy straw mushroom, milky mushroom, etc. The concentrated areas of production in India are the temperate regions for the button mushroom, tropical and sub-tropical regions for oyster, milky, paddy straw and other tropical mushrooms. Two to three crops of button mushroom are grown seasonally in temperate regions with minor adjustments of temperature in the growing rooms; while one crop of button mushroom is raised in North Western plains of India seasonally. Oyster, paddy straw and milky mushrooms are grown seasonally in the tropical/sub-tropical areas from April to October. The areas where these mushrooms are popularly grown are Orissa, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and North Eastern region of India. Some commercial units are already in operation located in different regions of our country and producing the quality mushrooms for export.

The present production of white button mushroom is about 85% of the total production of mushrooms in the country. By just diverting 1% of agro-wastes towards mushroom production, India can produce 3 million tonnes of mushroom and about 15 million tonnes of compost. Being an indoor crop, the commodity provides immense opportunities for empowerment of rural and urban women through cultivation and also the production of value-added products. Mushrooms possess significant health benefits and medicinal properties including anti-cancer effect. India can enter into a big and lucrative international trade in the medicinal mushrooms, presently monopolized by some East Asian countries and America.

Mushroom	Compounds	Medicinal properties
Ganoderma lucidum	Ganoderic acid Beta-glucan	Augments immune system Liver protection Antibiotic properties Inhibits cholesterol synthesis
Lentinula edodes	Eritadenine Lentinan	Lower cholestrol Anti-cancer agent
A. bisporous	Lectins	Enhance insulin secretion
P. sajor-caju	Lovastatin	Lower cholesterol
G. frondosa	Polysaccharide Lectins	Increases insulin secretion Decrease blood glucose
Auricularia auricular	Acidic polysaccharides	Decrease blood glucose
Flammulina velutipes	Ergothioneine Proflamin	Antioxidant Anti cancer activity
Trametes versicolor	Polysaccharide-K (Kresin)	Decrease immune system depression
Cordyceps sinensis	Cordycepin	Cure lung infections Hypoglycemic activity Cellular health properties Anti-depressant activity

Awareness programmes about importance of oyster mushroom production through the Demonstration among farmer

Fig.1- Demonstration of Oyster Mushroom Production

Materials for Oyester mushroom production Table: 1. Agricultural waste used for Mushroom Productions.

S. No.	Agricultural waste used for Mushroom Production
1.	Wood chips or sawdust
2.	Mulched straw
3.	Straw bedded horse or poultry manure
4.	Corncobs
5.	Waste or recycled paper
6.	Coffee pulp or grounds
7.	Nut and seed hulls
8.	Cotton seed hulls
9.	Cocoa bean hulls
10.	Cotton seed meal
11.	Soybean meal
12.	Brewer's grain
13.	Agro-wastes including straws of wheat, paddy and ragi, stalks and leaves of maize, jowar, bajra and cotton, jute, dried grasses, , used tea leaf waste, discarded waste paper
14.	Sugarcane bagasse
15.	Pea nut shells
16.	Sunflower stalks

Materials required for Oyester mushroom production

1. Paddy straw/Wheat straw : 10 kg

2. Water : 100 leter

3. Farmalin : 125ml

4. Bavistin : 7.5 gm

5. Spawn : Spawn (20-30 days old) @ 10% dry weight or 2.5-3% wet weight

6. Processed lime : 100gm

7. Polythine : (40 micron) size 5 kg capacity

8. Container : 150 liter capacity

9. Sprayer : 2 (30 lit capacity)

Procedure for Oyester mushroom production
Take 10 kg of wheat straw.
Treat the straw with Bavistin 4gm, Formalin 125 gm and processed lime 100 gm for protection from fungal disease.
Treat 60 litre capacity container with 4 drops Formalin.
Mix the 10 kg wheat straw in 45 litre water in a 60 litre capacity container.

Cover the container by polythene for 24 hour, Next day separate the straw from water in a tokri.
Treatment the site with 1 litre water and 4 drops Formalin and dry the wheat straw in shade away from sunlight.
Take a 11.5 kg capacity polythene and pack the straw 2 inch with pressure.
Take 100 gm spawn and put it around in a layer. Same procedure is applied at least 4-5 layer.
After filling of spawn pack the polythene and 15-20 holes done in polythene for air circulation.
Polythene bag is now ready for cultivation.
Take the bag in a dark room which is treated with 2 litre water and 100 gm Formalin. The bags are kept for 4 days in a dark room, not allowing light to pass through the close room.
After 25 days first production coming, harvesting is done by hand.
Then remove the plastic and treat with water and 100 gm of bleaching powder.
After treatment again take the polythene in a dark room.
After 7 days of first production, we can take it for second production. After 13 days of second production, we can take it for third production.
We can get 12-18 kg production of mushroom from this method.
In demonstration in Chandkhuri village we used only low cost production technology for this skill development.

Table: 2. Identified major disease problems in farmers production technology

S. No.	Major Problems	Recommended Practices	Adopted Practices
1.	Attack of Green mold	Prevention of disease is best achieved by following good sanitation practices; ensure compost is properly pasteurized prior to use and sterilize any supplements.	Application of access amount of fungicide during straw sterilization
2.	Attack of Bacterial brown blotch	Sanitation, Lowering humidity, Watering with a 150 ppm chlorine solution	Sanitization with formalin
3.	Attack of Dry bubble	Bubbles should not be disturbed by touching and can be destroyed using salt; salt should be placed in a plastic cup and then placed over the bubbles to dry them out and provide a barrier to prevent spores spreading.	Destroy the bag and use of fungicides
4.	Attack of Cob web	Control of the disease is achieved through good sanitation practices and cultural control methods.	Destroy the bag and use of fungicides
5.	Attack of False truffles	Spawn run and cropping bag temperature < 18^oC and avoid high humidity	Destroy the bag and use of fungicides

Figure: Different mushroom diseases and their symptoms

Table: 9. Identified major insects and pests in farmers production technology

S.No.	Major Problems	Recommended Practices	Adopted Practices
1.	Attack of Sciarids fly	Hygiene of mushrrom room and Malathion @ 0.01% per tones drenching compost	Sanitization with formalin and use of insecticides
2.	Attack of Phorids fly	Hygiene of mushrrom room and Diazinon @ 200 gm tones mix with Compost	Sanitization with formalin
3.	Attack of Cerids fly	Hygiene of mushrrom room, install light traps along with poison bating	Sanitization with formalin and use of insecticides
4.	Attack of Mites	Cleaning of mushroom house, disposal of organic debris and spray of Dicofol @ 0.1%	Sanitization with formalin and Destroy the bag

Figure: Different mushroom diseases and their symptoms

Identified major diseases and their management

Sanitation and hygiene

Equipments must be thoroughly surface sterilized with 2% formalin immediately before use

Do not use green mold-contaminated spawn

Observe mushroom substrates carefully during hyphal growth stage, and remove or treat any spot

Control of rats & mice

Spray or drench with a 500 ppm solution of Sporgon (prochloraz- manganese complex; 50%) on the spots

Chlorinated water is effective to prevent the brown blotch disease

Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and calcium hypochlorite [Ca(OCl)2] spray

Spraying of chlorine solution (0.015%) at 0.5 litre/m2

Use of sterilized substrate, proper disposal of spent compost

Spray Dithane Z-78 (0.2 %) @ 1.5 g/m2

Control local infections by spraying the affected patch with 2% formalin

Identified major insect-pest and their management

Sanitation and hygiene

Clean and disinfect the mushroom house thoroughly before cultivation

Proper disposal of spent material

Remove any waste, weeds, mushroom debris etc. that attracts flies

Pasteurize the substrate thoroughly

Screening of doors & other inlets of the mushroom house

Attracted to spawn & mushroom odour, breed in spawned compost & beds

If size is small, can pass through an ordinary wire screen fixed for excluding the houseflies. Screening of doors & ventilating openings of the mushroom house with nylon or wire nets of 14-16 mesh/cm is effective in checking the entry of flies

Spray window panes, walls & ceiling of mushroom house with 30 ml dichlorvos 76 EC/100m3 spray in fine spray droplets. Close the room for 2 hrs. Avoid direct spraying of mushroom beds

Conclusion

Scope of mushroom production in Chhattisgarh is very broad. Mushroom has been consumed as a nutritious food and dietary supplement. There are many mushroom species cultivated in the country, among them oyster is cultivated extensively throughout the year. Small scale mushroom farming has the opportunity to farmers and small entrepreneurs without much land, capital and technical knowledge to eradicate poverty within short time. Mushroom farming provides income opportunities for disadvantaged groups i.e. landless, rural women, adolescents and physically disables people. Development of mushroom based industry also creates a scope to export mushroom products, thus it can generate employment opportunity for unemployed. Based on the above facts, some suggestion can therefore, be recommended: Strengthening technical support to the farmers, easy capital supply, increase the supply of quality spawn, establishment of marketing structure, promotion of mushroom in new areas.

Farmers in Dharsiwa block are growing mushroom with traditional methods due to which attack of insect pest and disease was recorded. During survey, many good suggestions was given to farmers in order to increase cultivation of mushroom as well as use of different agricultural waste management through mushroom cultivation.