Jammu |: Deputy Director in the Directorate of Research of SKUAST-Jammu, Dr. Mahital Jamwal attended International Workshop on Edible and Medicinal Mushrooms sponsored by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China and organized by the Institute of Edible Fungi, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences through Department of International Cooperation of MOST, China.
During the workshop conducted through virtual mode, deliberations were held among the participants from different countries of the world on mushroom biology and production, genetics and breeding and mushroom biotechnology, various functions of edible & medicinal mushrooms and development and processing of mushroom products, prevention and control of mushroom diseases and pests, collection and conservation of mushroom germplasm, supervision and testing of mushroom quality, besides general processes like compost preparation, mixing, filling, sterilization, inoculation, and the use of relevant equipment, cultivation of Volvariella volvacea, cultivation of Lentinula edodes, etc.
In his speech, Dr. Jamwal told that mushrooms are globally accepted for their nutritional and medicinal values and shared the national status of different type of mushroom cultivation round the year and the scope to encourage different types of mushroom cultivation, spawn production and their marketing and processing as a potential entrepreneurship for unemployed youth for a reliable source of income generation. He presented the progress of SKUAST-Jammu in cultivating edible mushrooms like Agaricus bisporus (button mushroom), Pleurotus ostreatus (Dhingri), Calocybe indica (milky white mushroom) and medicinal mushrooms like Lentinus edodus, Agrocybe indica, Ganoderma species, Hericium species, Shiitake mushroom, Scizophyllum species, being carried out under the esteemed guidance of Hon’ble Vice Chancellor Prof. J.P. Sharma and worthy Director Research, Dr. Pardeep Wali, wherein Dr. Amrish Vaid, Prof. & Head and Dr. Sachin Gupta, Incharge Mushroom Unit are imparting trainings on production technology of different types of mushrooms to students, farmers, young entrepreneurs and defense personnel under All India Coordinated Mushroom Improvement Project on Mushrooms (AICRP) and Experiential Learning Programmes.
Dr. Jamwal worked as Associate Professor in Fruit Sciences in SKUAST-Jammu and remained involved in teaching, research, extension and administrative activities, research monitoring and liasoning of the University with national and international institutes by building Memorandum of Understandings. He was earlier awarded DST fellowship by the Ministry of Science & Technology of China, Beijing, during 2011 and MASHAV fellowship from the Ministry of External Affairs, State of Israel, during 2012. He was also awarded Postdoctoral Fellowship by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, State of Israel at Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, Beit Dagan, during 2013.