TS cultivates milky mushrooms to help farmers

Scientist from state’s agriculture university produced mushroom weighing about 130-210 grams

Researchers from the Department of Plant Pathology at the Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU) who have been working on the cultivation of mushrooms have been able to produce strong, white milky mushrooms weighing between 130 gm and 210 gm each.

The cultivation of milky mushrooms was first introduced in West Bengal. These mushrooms are known for their milky white colour, long shelf life, and their ability to adapt to diverse environmental conditions. The demand for milky mushrooms is at par with that for button mushrooms, which is why the researchers at PJTSAU have decided to study the cultivation of the species.

Milky mushrooms are grown on a substrate of agriculture waste materials such as paddy straw, husk, sorghum, maize culms, castor stalks, and groundnut shells. According to the scientists from PJTSAU, farmers generally use paddy straw for the cultivation of these mushrooms as it is easily available at a low cost.

Mangalpudi Prameela, a scientist from PJTSAU, has been part of the team studying the cultivation of milky mushrooms. She says that farmers stand to make more money if they are educated about other sectors within agriculture, besides the cultivation of field crops.

“Even the unemployed youth and housewives can gain self-employment in these sectors. The cultivation of mushrooms is one such area in which growers can reap high profits with a small investment by making use of agricultural waste that is readily available. The types of mushroom that are cultivated in India include button mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, paddy straw mushrooms and milky mushrooms,” she says.

She adds that mushroom growers are increasingly opting for towards the cultivation of milky mushrooms because of their size and colour. “Milky mushrooms are cultivated organically, without any chemicals, and they are highly suitable for export. Farmers are able to sell larger mushrooms for higher prices and thus make more money,” she added.