Cultivate mushrooms

BANGALORE: The delicious mushrooms used in culinary delights are tasty as well as high on protein. Pizza, pasta, soups, curry -- name the dish and they are used; but one more place where you can find mushrooms is -- your balcony.Now any one can grow mushrooms on their roof tops or in any available small place as these are easy to cultivate and can be a great and tasty hobby. The Krishi Mela organised in Gandhi Krishi Vignan Kendra (GKVK) has many solutions to offer to city-dwellers too.At present, three mushrooms are being cultivated in India. These are the white mushroom (Agaricus bisporus), the paddy-straw mushroom (Volvariella vovvacea) and the oyster mushroom (Pleurotus sajor-caju). The paddy straw mushroom is easy to grow at homes as it is hassle free and cost effective also.A stall put up at the mela had scientists, led by A N Balakrishnan , professor of Agricultural Microbiology, UAS, explaining the methodology of cultivating mushrooms to viewers."To grow paddy-straw mushrooms at your home or farm all you need is some paddy straw, a plastic bag and mushroom spawns, which is  easily available in any agriculture shop," he said. Take paddy straws and cut them into 2-3 inches and long soak them in hot water overnight. This process is called pasteurisation and is the most integral part in mushroom cultivation as this kills the unwanted organism from the paddy straws, cautioned the scientists. In a plastic bag, fill a layer of paddy straws, some spawns and repeat it to make three to four layers. Seal the plastic bag from the top and make holes in the sides for ventilation. Keep these bags in dry place and every day ensue that the bags have necessary moisture. In two to three weeks, one can see the mushrooms growing out of the holes.These mushrooms are now ready for construction.