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Edible and Medicinal Mushrooms: Some Aspects and Prospects

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Biology, Cultivation and Applications of Mushrooms

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Abstract

Mushrooms belong to Basidiomycotina and their cultivation has become a multi-millionaire industry. The edible mushrooms are also known as Morels, Puff-balls, and truffles. Mushrooms are fleshy spore bearing macroscopic fungi which grow on humid soils, organic debris, wood logs, and various other substrates. Mushrooms are epigeous, but some like Lycoperdon are beneath the ground. Mushrooms have been in use as food and medicine since times immemorial. Mushrooms are highly prized for their taste, flavour, and nutritional qualities. There are around 2000 edible mushrooms that are cultivated extensively and they belong to Agaricus, Auricularia, Lentinus, Pleurotus, Volvariella, and others. Button mushroom, oyster mushroom, and paddy straw mushroom are the most widely cultivated edible mushrooms throughout the globe. These mushrooms also are known to contain medicinal value. There are number of medicinal mushrooms that occur in nature and their alkalides are of greater use in the preparation of drugs to cure a number of diseases.

Amanita spp., Stropharia, and Psilocybe spp. are considered as poisonous, as they contain alkaloides, which are of medicinal value. Psilocybe spp. contain Psilocybin and Psilocin substances responsible for curing mental and psychic disorders. Such kind of mushrooms are available in nature which needs to be exploited for drug preparation. Some species of Amanita spp. form ectomycorrhizal symbiotic association with conifers and woody plants and help in establishing forest plants, their productivity along with mobilization of nutrients from soil and improving soil fertility. Edible mushrooms contain around 18 amino acids and also more of protein, fibre, water content and less carbohydrate. Furthermore, they also contain lot of minerals and nutrients. Mushroom cultivation is an important aspect of mushroom science, as it has become rural industry and thus helping the economy of rural women. The important steps in mushroom cultivation are spawn production and mushroom production. The brief account of cultivation of button mushroom, Pleurotus and Volvariella are also given.

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Acknowledgement

The author is thankful to NASI Prayagraj, India for providing Senior Fellowship and encouragement.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, Osmania University, Hyderabad, India

    Chakravarthula Manoharachary

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  1. Chakravarthula Manoharachary
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Studies, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara, India

    Arun Arya

  2. Mycological Laboratory, Institute of Biology, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, North Macedonia

    Katerina Rusevska

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Manoharachary, C. (2022). Edible and Medicinal Mushrooms: Some Aspects and Prospects. In: Arya, A., Rusevska, K. (eds) Biology, Cultivation and Applications of Mushrooms . Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-6257-7_9

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