TNAU's Dept. of Plant Pathology hosts one-day training on 'Spawn Production and Mushroom Cultivation' in Coimbatore

Coimbatore: The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University’s (TNAU) Department of Plant Pathology organized a one-day training program on 'Spawn Production and Mushroom Cultivation' for youth beneficiaries belonging to the Scheduled Caste through the financial support of the All India Coordinated Mushroom Improvement Project of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi.

Over a 100 beneficiaries from Kongunadu Arts and Science College in Coimbatore participated in the training.

The program was presided over by Dr. V Geethalakshmi, Vice-Chancellor of TNAU who appreciated the youth for undertaking to do the training progarm on mushroom cultivation and stressed on the significance of mushroom cultivation as a hitech horticulture venture that would provide more income per unit area due to vertical space utilisation and pave for the socio-economic livelihood of the farming community. She also added that a large portion of agro residues is being burnt, creating environment pollution which could however be solved by recycling of agroresidues into proteinaceus food, like the mushrooms. Dr. V Geethalakshmi also emphasised that students will gain confidence and earn well when they take up this type of venture, while learning.

The Vice-Chancellor further added that mushroom cultivation is best suited as a component in Integrated Farming system for additional income to farmers. Dr. M Shanthi, Director, Centre for Plant Protection Studies in her special address, she emphasised the importance of mushroom production towards health, owing to the presence of protein, fibre, Vitamin B, amino acids and selenium in mushrooms as an immune modulator. She also mentioned that TNAU would extend necessary technical support for the upcoming entrepreuners so as to create self-employment opportunities among youngsters.

Dr. M Balasubramaniam, Director (ODL) pointed out that mushroom venture has to be taken initially as a small project and after a thorough study of financial stability, the project expansion would create sustainability. Dr. G Karthikeyan, Professor and Head, pointed out that ICAR through AICRP in addition to research activities on mushrooms, is interested in promoting mushroom cultivation as an extension activity for solving the protein malnutrition and unemployment in the country, and that the Department of Plant Pathology is taking great efforts to conduct many such training programs.

Dr. G Thiribhuvanamala, Professor and Scheme officer of the project provided detailed demonstrations and hands-on training to the beneficiaries on production of spawn and oyster mushroom, intercropping of paddy straw mushroom cultivation and value addition of mushrooms. The beneficiaries were provided the essential input materials required for mushroom production at no cost.