World’s first free educational video lectures on Genus Termitomyces
Some background:- So far 71 species have been catalogued in the paleotropical wild, edible mushroom genus Termitomyces. These are found in a belt stretching from sub saharan Africa, Yunan, Vietnam, Chinese Taipei to Phillipines-not to mention Indian subcontinent (from Srinagar to Andamans). It is a species grown exclusively by the fungus growing , mound building termites and has no independent existence. This association is 180 million years old. Despite a century of research it has not been possible to domesticate this species and cultivate it artificially like Button or oyster mushrooms. We are working at Mycology lab, Botany dept., Goa University to cultivate it artificially and also to produce the edible, flavoured , texturized mycoproteinin benchtop fermenters.We have world's largest collection of tropical Termitomyces cultures in our fungus culture collection. World’s largest edible agaric mushroom Termitomyces titanicus found in Zambia is the size of an umbrella (60-80 cms. across) , weighs 2.5 kg which one can carry home and cook!. Imagine growing it artificially. It would end the protein nutrition problem in world. Goans-mostly the first austric community discovered the edibility of Termitomyces spp. during hunting food gathering stage. Mycophagy in Goa thus dates back to paleolithic period. I named India’s largest Termitomyces mushroom species found in Molem sanctuary, Sanguem as Termitomyces santerei sp.nov. Kamat (1991). It is 27 cms across and weighed 160 gms. It is very rare now. I found world’s and India’s smallest Termitomyces mushroom species in Tiswadi island and named it Termitomyces gomantakiensis sp.nov. Kamat (1991). After a gap of 19 years I collected it again this year in market samples. About 25 years of my field research has yielded 30 species of Termitomyces in Goa, making our state the largest in world in genetic diversity of the species. No doubt this land is indeed blessed by the goddess of termite hill-Santeri , sankritized and iconized as Goddess Shantadurga! Goa gives less importance to knowledge and serious research based scientific activities. All the time people are discussing “practical value”, whether something from wild is tasty and can be cooked and consumed. Politicians and market forces are actively promoting plunder of wild species. Even the local mushroom sellers are not an exception. I was collecting marketed samples for research. They scolded me once-‘Hatun shikpachem bi kay na, ti vikti ghevon, khavapachi”. (there is nothing to learn from these olamis, purchase and eat them). The inexplicable craving of true Goans for taste of wild olamis-Termitomyces spp. can be explained in the chemicals which work on the brain. It gives a "feel good feeling". We found an unidentified polysaccharide, a natural biolubricant ( locally known as "lal") which the species produces at egg stage which people enjoy. The Chinese found Termitomycesphins A–D, Novel Neuritogenic Cerebrosides which have capacity to repair brain damage. In India most of the biochemical work on the species has been done since 1975 at Kokota's Indian Institute of Chemical biology-that too on a single species Clypeatus found in Goa as "khut, khutyali, chochyali or toshali olamis. My late father, a mycophile, lost his temper when he read that I was trying to get a ban on commercial collection of the species from wildlife sanctuaries. The ban did not work out due to political interference in forest department. There is still no"wild mushroom pickers' code' on Goa like UK, EU or some states of USA. It would be late when it comes... Plundering of wild mushroom habitat brings in windfall income. I have local wild mushroom trade statistics since 1985 compiled from informers across the state. This year the wild edible Termitomyces (olamis) fetched a record price-Rs.8- 10 each egg stage (kolo). That was the price I had paid in 1982 for a packet of 100. By end of this month the turnover would be Rs. 10 million. Bolkornem village in Sanguem itself sells mushrooms worth Rs. Ten lakh. A roadside seller at Dhulapi, near the Ciba factory made a cool Rs. 5000 in a day last month. The demand is growing. Even those who never tasted these wild species are now addicted to it. Even very immature stages are found in market samples. This is bad news for eco-conservation. Goans don't feel the need to get educated about the scientific aspects of the species which they consume. But there are other countries in the world which worship knowledge and value research. My efforts are now directed towards them. Since there is very little learning material in Afro-asian countries on Termitophilic mushroom species, I requested my culture technician Ms. Priyanka Shirodkar to record the following educational videoclip in our mycological laboratory at Department of on Botany, Goa University. It is in two parts. It was her first attempt of videofilming, so some blurring has occured. Two species of Termitomyces , T. robustus and T. petaloides sp.nov. are used in the film. Part I, 10 min. This discusses some developmental biology, embryological and morphological, taxonomic aspects http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3q1lC89ZwkI Part II, 6 min. 16 sec. This discusses the diversity, species plasticity aspects http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsVUhdqfM0E I am building a large information database about this genus on a single portal which would help paleotropical researchers http://kamat-termitomycopedia.blogspot.com/2009/02/catalogued-termitomyces-heim-and.html Hope to populate it with scientific and cultural information by end of the International year of biodiversity. -- Dr. Nandkumar Kamat, GOA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ISSUES BEING DEBATED: In East Africa, despite colonialism, the British afforded the Goan a sliver of a socio-political voice. Read *Into The Diaspora Wilderness* by Selma Carvalho. Soon to be available in Toronto. Pp 290. Via mail-order from goa1...@gmail.com http://selmacarvalho.squarespace.com/