| Group Composition |
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| Current Research Programme |
- The Mushroom Group of the Food and Nutrition Division has optimized seasonal cultivation of edible and medicinal mushrooms and developed an improved, low-cost, nitrogen-enriched compost formulation to enhance mushroom productivity, biological efficiency, and profitability. The technology is being promoted for commercialization through hands-on training workshops, radio talks, quality spawn supply, model mushroom farms, and technical guidance to farmers and growers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Upper Punjab and Baluchistan. The group has also collaborated with LASOONA, SABAWON, and NIDA-Pakistan to provide technical training, quality spawn, and on-farm support to women and men from low-income farming communities in Khyber, Nowshera, and Peshawar districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. These efforts aim to promote mushroom cultivation as a viable income-generating enterprise and livelihood opportunity for rural communities.
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| Tangible Achievements |
- Optimized nutritional mushrooms i.e. Pearl Oyster, Grey Oyster, Pink Oyster, King Oyster, Milky and Button mushroom spawn development and cultivation on seasonal basis.
- Optimized medicinal mushroom i.e. Ganoderma/Reishi mushroom spawn development and cultivation on seasonal basis.
- Developed and optimized an improved, low-cost, nitrogen-enriched compost formulation aimed at enhancing mushroom productivity and increasing % biological efficiency (% B.E.).
- Popularized oyster and milky mushroom cultivation for commercialization in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Upper Punjab and Baluchistan
- Promoted mushroom farming as an alternative crop in Tirah Valley, District Khyber, KP, in collaboration with the Pakistan Army; the initiative was later highlighted by BBC Urdu, contributing to the soft-image building of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC).
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| Group R&D Objectives |
- Identification of low-cost nitrogen sources for compost enrichment to enhance oyster mushroom yield
- Quality mushroom spawn development and provision to local farmers/mushroom growers
- Oyster mushroom value-added product (mushroom powder) development for commercialization
- Fostering collaboration with local organizations, academia, and industry to promote mushroom production as a cottage industry in KP.
- To standardize and validate low-cost drying technology for oyster mushroom
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