Ganoderma Lucidum

In Context 

• Attempts are being made to popularise Ganoderma lucidum mushroom for business and livelihood, by cultivating it on wood logs and sawdust.
  • Earlier it was only collected from the wild but its increasing demand pushed the attempts to artificially cultivate it.

Ganoderma Lucidum

Image Courtesy: DTE

• About:
  • The mushroom is shiny red-brown and naturally grows on wood.
    • It has been cultivated in various wood logs as well as sawdust substrates, with wheat bran, tea leaves, cotton husk and others being the additional substrates.
  • It prefers broad-leaved tree species like acacia, poplar, oak, maple, Melia, eucalyptus, hevea, Tectona and Grewia. 
  • The mother culture of Ganoderma lucidum is commonly prepared from its fruiting body by tissue culture method; it is further used to prepare its spawn.  
• History: 
  • The history of consumption of this mushroom can be traced back to 5,000 years ago in China.
  •  It is also found in the historical and medical records of countries like Japan, Korea, Malaysia and India. 
    • The first successful artificial cultivation was done in 1969 by technicians of the Chinese Academy of Science. 

• Geographical conditions: 

• It thrives well in warm and humid climates and grows preferably in mixed forests of subtropical to temperate regions.
• Unlike normal mushrooms, the peculiar character of this one is that it grows on wood or wood-based substrate only. 

• Utility 
  • Apart from medicines, Ganoderma lucidum is also used as a base material for manufacturing products such as tea, coffee, energy supplements, health boosters, beverages, baked goods and anti-ageing cosmetics.
  • It is a medicinal mushroom in use for centuries to heal diseases like diabetes, cancer, inflammation, ulcer as well as bacterial and skin infections. 
    • They have earned it monikers such as “mushroom of immortality”, “celestial herb” and “auspicious herb”.
    • It is globally also known as the “red reishi mushroom”. 
    • In India, however, the potential of the fungus is still being explored. 
• Scope in India: 
  • The reason the mushroom has not gained as much popularity as other herbal products might be the fact that its mass production is restricted to countries like China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand and the United States of America. 
    • Awareness regarding Ganoderma is spreading and the demand for this mushroom has pushed many countries, including India, to produce it on a large scale and manufacture its products. 

• India, a country where the majority of the population primarily relies on agriculture, has great potential to cultivate this mushroom. 
• It can be grown indoors and is thus safe from the impacts of extreme weather conditions, man-wildlife conflicts, harsh topography and poor soil conditions. 

Source:DTE