Mushroom based on sugarcane bagasse more nutritious: ICAR

Ambika Sharma

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Tribune News Service

Solan, August 21

The use of sugarcane bagasse for making compost for button mushroom fetches a higher yield and protein content in comparison to traditional methods of making compost using wheat, paddy and mustard straw.

The Indian Council of Agriculture Research-run Directorate of Mushroom Research (DMR), Solan, has perfected the technology of using sugarcane bagasse for making compost for button mushroom. The cost of production will also be substantially reduced using this technology.

The Director, DMR, VP Sharma says, “Scientists evaluated four raw materials for the preparation of compost for button mushroom i.e. wheat straw, paddy straw, mustard straw and sugarcane bagasse

“The results of the three-year evaluation at different centres of the All-India Coordinated Research Project on Mushroom showed that sugarcane bagasse was the best-suited material for compost preparation along with wheat straw,” he adds.

The sugarcane bagasse has the highest protein content and the largest diameter, followed by wheat straw and rice straw.

“The overall yield was higher in sugarcane bagasse. Mushroom produced on sugarcane bagasse was found to have usual nutritional profile that is 35 per cent protein, low fat, high potassium, no starch and vitamin B and D and C, besides other health benefits,” said Sharma.

Button mushroom is the most popularly cultivated mushroom in India and contributes more than 70 per cent to the total mushroom production i.e. 2.42 lakh tonnes per annum.

Though wheat straw is the popularly used straw for making compost, its increasing cost enhances the cost of production and reduces profitability.