An Overview on Mushrooms

Mushrooms are a good dietary nutrient source that are low in calories, carbohydrates, fat, sodium and free from cholesterol. Although many are found in nature and consumed worldwide, some are cultivated on a commercial level. The scientific community has improved and successfully cultivated a few mushrooms, but the number is insignificant compared to the mushrooms collected from the wild for consumption. Due to their diverse agroclimatic conditions, the Indian Himalayas have rich mushroom microbiota, where a variety of mushrooms have long been found in forests and collected by villagers. These fungi are Dikarya in the phyla Ascomycota and Basidiomycota, which are known for their nutritious, medicinal, hallucinogenic, and poisonous properties. Conservation of biodiversity is important for the development of new strains in cultivation or improving strains for increased production. This chapter presents an overview of the literature concerning the variety of edible mushrooms consumed in India, mushroom basic concepts, their geographical distribution, Himalayan diversity, and the climatic requirements, with detail on the challenges faced for the sustainable usage of important mushroom species.