Mushroom farming: A review Focusing on soil health, nutritional security and environmental sustainability

Abstract

Global climate change, soil and water scarcity, soil degradation and increasing population are putting tremendous pressure on current agriculture and food production systems. These factors are threatening the food– and nutritional– security not only at regional level but also at global scale. In addition to these, mismanagement of agro-industrial waste and rampant burning of crop residues has adverse impact on the environment putting the public health at risk. As a result, in order to maintain food and nutritional security, it is critical to improve waste management and recycling for farming and other allied sectors. Mushroom farming has the potential to alleviate poverty, hunger, malnutrition and also fulfil nutritional security. Mushrooms are a highly nutritious food that are used all over the world as a tonic, medicine, and dietary food. Mushrooms are grown on lignocellulose substrates such as crop residue, processed waste, horticultural waste, saw dust, and wood chips. So, mushroom cultivation converts low–quality and low value waste materials to high–quality food. In this review, we discuss future strategies for improving mushroom quality including breeding aspect and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emission/global warming. Further, we interlink soil health with various substrate quality and quantity for mushroom farming, and review the role of mushroom farming in environment and food and nutritional security, and zero waste farming.

Keywords

• Mushrooms
• Substrate quality
• Zero–waste cycling
• Carbon footprint
• Food and nutritional security
• Spent mushroom compost