Staff Reporter Islamabad
A training was organized in Plant Pathology labs, FQSRI to introduce spawn production and oyster, milky mushroom growing technologies from 08-12 November, 2021.
The main objective of the training was to create awareness among farmers and SMEs about the latest technologies and revenue generation within their available resources.
The training participants were related from Food and Agriculture Organization, Pakistan (FAO), Thardeep Rural Development Programme (TRDP) and PARC-Arid zone Research Institute, Umerkot, Sindh.
Dr. Attaullah Khan, Director General, Mr. Parwaiz Ahmed Baloch, Director FQSRI were present on inauguration day of the training. While, Mrs. Uzma Sitara, SSO, Mushroom training Incharge, FQSRI, PARC-SARC welcomed the trainees and briefed them about the mandate/objectives and R&D activities of training workshop.
The trainees got hands-on training for 5-days in spawn and mushroom production lab on different substrate preparation (wheat straw and saw dust) use of chemical and non-chemical methods, tissue culture, autoclaving, inoculation, pure spawn culture/spawn preparation, casing of milky mushroom, growth room and harvesting of mushroom.
The trainees were informed about the chemicals, equipment being used during the spawn/mushroom production.
Participants were also taught about packing and storage facilities to learn how modern mushroom production businesses efficiently prevent post-harvest losses and exclude pest contamination.
The group captured all major activities, methodologies, techniques, tools and guides used to mitigate risks at the pre-and post-harvest stage of the oyster and milky mushroom cultivation and spawn production.
On the last day, the participants were briefed about different types of mushrooms of King Oyster, Florida, Cordyceps and Ganoderma and other ongoing activities in labs. Dr. Attaullah Khan, Director General, while addressing suggested the participants to initiate the mushroom cultivation work in their villages in order to demonstrate and appeal the community members to start mushroom farming.
For the purpose PARC-SARC would provide technical support whenever be required. In the end, certificates were distributed among the participants by Dr. Attaullah Khan, Director General, PARC-SARC.
