We welcome you to ICAR-Directorate of Mushroom Research (DMR), Solan (HP).  It is a constituent of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), an autonomous organization of Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Govt. of India. The Directorate was established in 1983 as National Centre for Mushroom Research and Training.  It was renamed as National Research Centre for Mushroom in 1997 and upgraded to Directorate of Mushroom Research in 2008. 

The Directorate is the only institute working exclusively on mushrooms in the country and is mandated to conduct strategic and applied research on (i) collection, conservation, utilization, production and PHT of edible and medicinal mushrooms and (ii) extension and capacity building of stakeholders.

The Directorate is also the headquarter of All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) on Mushroom with 23 Coordinating and 9 Cooperating Centres located in 25 States and 2 Union Territories where collective efforts are made to collect germplasm,  undertake validation and evaluation of specific technologies on mushrooms at different locations and impart various other services to growers. ICAR-DMR and its AICRP centres have been providing regular trainings and services to mushroom growers like sale of spawn, preparation of TEFR, regular advice to the growers and addressing questions related to diseases, PHT, farm design, etc. In addition lot of information has been provided on the website for use by growers, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders.

ICAR-DMR has developed promising varieties of different mushrooms and array of technologies for cultivation of different mushrooms suited to various agro-climatic regions of the country.    Directorate has released six varieties of white button mushroom, three varieties of shiitake, three varieties of paddy straw mushroom, one variety of oyster mushroom and identified six varieties of oyster mushroom for round the year cultivation in different regions of the country.  Due to the concerted efforts of ICAR-DMR and its AICRP Centres, the mushroom production in the country has doubled in the last five years.

COVID 19 pandemic has impacted the mushroom crop like many other commercial activities due to constraints in availability of the labour and raw materials and difficulties in marketing and disturbance in supply chain, closure of hotels, malls etc. I am sure that mushroom growers will overcome this temporary shock and will take advantage of the changed policies and trade environment.  Efforts to promote mushroom consumption and diversification by cultivating different types of mushroom can play pivotal role in growth of mushrooms in our country.