Mushrooms are a group of fungi endowed with ability to convert inedible ant wastes into palatable food that is praised for characteristic biting texture and flavor. The most nutritious mushrooms are almost equal in nutritional value to meats and milk. The low - calory and cholesterol-free -mushroom diets also display certain medicinal properties. These diets are effective against hyperlipemia, hypertension, diabetes and rumors. The protein conversion efficiency of mushrooms is remarkable being about 50 times more compared to even animal sources of protein such as milk, egg and meat per unit land and time. Mushroom cultivation is ecofriendly and is labour-intensive. It can generate tremendous employment opportunities.

Further, mushroom cultivation and processing offer vast export opportunities and our country can earn a prestigious position in the world mushroom market. Despite several advantages of mushroom cultivation, the mushroom industry has not picked up the desired momentum. Of the various factors that keep mushroom cultivation on slow track, inadequate knowledge about mushroom and mushroom-growing as well as poor motivation live been the major constraints. Awareness and motivation for mushroom cultivation can be injected through varied strategies including the conventional print media. There has been a dearth of books for amateurs in the field of mushroomology. Realizing this gap, we have attempted this simple guide- book for the mushroom enthusiast. We hope our attempt would induce/enhance mushroom-growing and processing in our country. This book provides a simple coverage of the mushroom basics and also the relevant information for setting up the mushroom industry.