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Students grow mushrooms from agricultural waste

The students conducted a seminar at the college campus on Saturday, where they trained students from other colleges.

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A specimen of the mushrooms growing out of waste matter
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Waste being one of the major crisis concerning the world today, researchers, experts and ordinary citizens are busy looking for methods to recycle and reuse products to reduce waste.

Amidst these global efforts, a bunch of first-year students from MG Science college, under the guidance of their professor, Mrugesh Shukla have found a use for agro waste by growing mushrooms out of it. The students conducted a seminar at the college campus on Saturday, where they trained students from other colleges.

“Recently, Delhi experienced a severe degradation in the air quality, which was mainly attributed to burning of agro by-products in Haryana and Punjab. A similar condition can prevail anywhere as there is no solution for disposing agro waste at large,” said Nasir Ahmed, a student at MG Science college.

“We have experimented in the last one month to produce compost and mushrooms through the degradation of waste. The waste we used was of sugarcane and wheat. This we put into a recyclable plastic bag. After two weeks, the fertiliser was ready. And after another 25 days, we had mushrooms,” added Ahmed.

Professor of Microbiology at MG Science, Dr Payal Patel said, “After learning and experimenting for a month, our students have become trainers today. There are 190 students and professors from different colleges, who have participated in our one-day workshop-cum-seminar.”

“The students demonstrated the process to grow mushrooms. A student’s father, who is a farmer, has tried it too. The mushrooms can be dried and used as a powder to add to a drink,” added Patel.

In the method the students have devised, they use rice, wheat and sugarcane barn and chop them into small sizes and add water to it. The ingredients are then put in a recyclable plastic bag and allowed to ferment for two weeks. Then the product is ready to be used as a fertiliser. The same product, in two more weeks, after getting some water and air, will have edible mushrooms growing out of it.

“This is the right season to grow mushrooms as one doesn’t have to maintain temperature. While growing it, the bag must be kept away from direct sunlight. This is the easiest method, which farmers can quickly learn,” said Krishna Pandya, one of the trainers

The effort

  • A bunch of first-year students from MG Science college have found a use for agro waste by growing mushrooms out of it. 
     
  • The students conducted a seminar at the college campus on Saturday, where they trained students from other colleges. 
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