2025-05-31

"I’ve tried preparing mushroom beds using hay before, but working with pellets for the first time was a vivid experience—and honestly, I found it a lot simpler," shared Annamma, one of the participants.

TIES recently conducted an intensive training session on mushroom cultivation, drawing in 15 enthusiastic participants. A key highlight of the program was the introduction and practical demonstration of pellet-based mushroom bed preparation—an innovative, sustainable alternative to traditional methods.

The training was structured into two segments: a theory session and a hands-on workshop. The theoretical portion covered essential topics including an introduction to mushrooms, tissue culture, mother spawn and spawn production, bed preparation techniques, and post-harvest technologies.

What made this training truly stand out was its special emphasis on using pellets as a growing substrate. Compared to conventional straw beds, pellets are cleaner, more compact, and require significantly less effort in cleaning, chopping, and pasteurization—making them a more efficient and scalable solution. Many participants expressed enthusiasm about adopting this method, citing reduced labor and lower contamination risk as major advantages.

The sessions were led by experts including Dr. Punnen Kurian, Director of TIES; Prof. Sunny Jose, retired Head of the Department at St. Xavier’s College, Vaikom; and Ms. Arya Shaji, Project Assistant at TIES. During the practical workshop, each participant had the opportunity to prepare their own pellet-based beds, reinforcing the theoretical knowledge through real-world application.

This training is part of TIES’ ongoing capacity-building initiatives aimed at promoting environmentally friendly and economically viable farming practices. The program was smoothly coordinated by Sarath Babu N B, Jijomon P P, and Dhyana K from the TIES team.