To provide value-addition in farming activities and arrest the falling farm incomes in the district, the Department of Agriculture is set to introduce ‘Integrated Farming System' practices on a commercial basis in the entire 13 blocks.

The integrated system is the concept of judicious mixing of poultry, mushroom cultivation, fisheries, agro-forestry, goat/cow rearing and sericulture along with the main agricultural crop cultivation on a unit area which could help bring prosperity to farming.

A mushroom used for making medicines for treating more than 20 different human ailments ranging from HIV and bronchial asthma to diabetes and angina can now be grown easily at home. Scientists of the Forest Research Institute have developed a simple technique for cultivating the Ganoderma lucidum mushroom on poplar branch pieces. At present, capsules available in India containing the powder of this mushroom are manufactured by a Malaysian firm. A pack of 90 capsules costs more than Rs 1,200.

Solan: Scientists of the Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, have achieved a rare feat by developing high- yielding hybrids of white button mushroom through crossing. The newly developed hybrid-4 is a cross between U3 and A-15 and it has recorded an outstanding average yield of 26.10 kg per 100 kg compost against 22.50 kg recorded in U3 and 14.02 kg in A-15 parents during the cropping period of 60 days on short method of compost.

With chlorinated water being identified as a key reason of residue problem, scientists have suggested the use of chlorine-free water for spraying in mushroom cultivation.

The Mushroom Development Foundation plans to set up seven clusters in the state with an expert panel in each of them for supervision to help mushroom cultivators boost production.

Monitoring committees have already been constituted in four of these clusters, each comprising 60 to 100 farmers, with a target of producing 5kg mushroom a day by a farmer.

Three-day mushroom farming training camp was inaugurated at Central Jail Bhopal which is being organised by Agriculture Research Centre Gwalior with the cooperation of Science Technology Council Bhopal.

- College teacher focuses on local varieties rugra and khukhri

A woman sells rugra mushrooms at Kutchery Chowk in Ranchi. File picture

Ranchi, Aug.11: The state science and technology department is considering a biotechnology professor

- Edible fungi sprouts on lightning-prone Chotanagpur plateau, swamps markets in capital, elsewhere

Ranchi, July 20: It