Oyster mushroom strain developed at GU NT News Desk Panaji Feb 6: In his attempt to domesticate the local wild and hitherto uncultivated edible mushroom species of Goa, Dr Nandkumar Kamat one of the principal investigators of the Planning Commission, sponsored long-term joint project on biodiversity cataloguing of the Western Chats of Goa, implemented in the botany department of Goa University, has successfully developed a highly stable and fertile, local strain of the second most popular commercially cultivated edible mushroom species of the world - Pleurotus Ostreatus, commonly known as 'Oyster Mushroom' or 'Dhingri.'
The strain was developed from a wild variety found in Sanguem taluka. Further research is in progress to enhance the yield and prepare hybrid strains suitable for Goan conditions using cheap locally available raw material and outdoor environment. At present the oyster mushroom producers in India and Goa use either the imported strain or those developed in Punjab, Bangalore and Coimbatore. The Goa University strain is the first proven fertile strain from Western Ghats of India with demonstrated potential for outdoor local conditions. Project assistants Ms Kumud Phadte and Ms Nikita De Silva assisted Dr Kamat in his efforts. Earlier, success had been obtained in artificial cultivation of another species, Auricularia Auricula (wood ear mushroom).
