Mushroom Diversity in Central Nepal: An Ethnomycological Approach

Abstract

Nepal is a multi lingual, multi religion and multi ethnic country. The country is rich in biodiversity due to topographic and climatic variation. The ethnic groups in Nepal are distributed within all the 75 districts of the country. The main Mycophagus groups in the study area are Tamang, Gurung, Sherpa, Lama, Chepang, Danuwar, Tharu, Rai, Limbu, Newar etc. Mycodiversity is the branch of biodiversity, which reflects the fungi diversity. Larger fungi of the divisions Ascomycotina and Basidiomycotina are called mushrooms. Edible species are called “Mushroom” and “Poisonous” ones as “Toadstools” (Pacioni 1985). In Nepal, mushroom collection and consumption have been on-going since time immemorial by different ethnic groups The mycological collections from Nepal started with the works of Lloyd (1808) (with one Ganoderma species) and Berkeley (1838) (with one Polystictus species).Since then, J.D. Hooker in (1848-1854), gathered many fungal species during his botanical expedition to eastern Nepal.His collections were studied and reported by Berkeley (1854). There- after, many Nepalese and foreign mycologists have contributed in this field. In the initial stages of research on mycological specimens in Nepal, there were no specific intentions of ethno mycological investigations. However, mushrooms were collected and reported as edible or non edible according to human uses (Singh 1966, 1973, 1974; Adhikari 1976). Ethno mycological studies and Ethno botanical studies including mycological species were later undertaken by several workers with regard to those consumed by selected ethnic tribes or those used by people in selected geographic areas in Nepal. The present research aims to enumerate and document wild Mushrooms, conduct chemical analysis of some important mushrooms, explore ethno mycological knowledge of local people, and thereby provide recommendations. Central Development Region of Nepal is the main Study Area of the thesis. The study was limited to Langtang National Park (Dhunche to Kyanginj ghumpa), Kathmandu Valley including adjoining areas(Sunadrijal, DhuliKhel, Surya-binayak, Champadevi, Nagarjun, Matatirtha e.t.c ) and Chitwan (Tikauli Samudayik Ban, Amrit Dharapani Samudayik Ban). The collection of mushrooms started from the year 2001 to 2005 mainly during the months of May, June, July, August, September and October. During the collection of samples, geographical information of area i.e. Latitude, Longitude, XVII Altitude, Soil-type, Forest type, Habitat, Climate, Temperature along with Date, Collection Number and Place of Collection were recorded. The field work was conducted from July 2001 to August 2005 at different areas of Central Nepal. While conducting field trips in various sites, a professional mushroom hunter and some other friends were accompanied. The mushrooms were photographed in their natural habitat before they were collected. Broken, rotten and insect- eaten species were discarded and only mushrooms with healthy basidiocarps were picked up. All morphological characters were recorded. Spore prints were obtained. Each specimen of same species or different species collected from the same locality or different localities were cleaned up with the help of the brush. They were placed in separate wax- paper bags so as to prevent mixture of spores. Bamboo baskets and paper bags were used for the collection of specimens in the field. The specimens were preserved in dry condition through blotting the water by different means (sun dry, placing near fire place etc.) - knowing that ‘The dried preserved samples only can be utilized for microscopic study and for chemical analysis, while the liquid preserved samples can be used only for museum specimen’. The specimens were brought to the laboratory for the microscopic studies. The specimens were identified with the help of standard literatures. After identification, they were filed and stored each with a Label tag. Napthalene balls and Para-dichlorobenzene were used as insect repellents in the storage cabinet. The cabinet was kept in dry, well aerated and sunny room. SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy) was done to the closely related species at IIT (Indian Institute of Technology), New Delhi for spore ornamentation. This technique helps for proper identification of the particular species. The ethnomycological information were collected by Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) and Rapid Rural Appraisal (RRA). For the chemical analysis of Mushroom, determination of moisture, ash, acid insoluble ash, as well as minerals like Calcium, Phosphorus and Iron were done in the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control in accordance with AOAC (1995). Carbohydrate determination was done only of ‘reducing sugar’ through the Fehling’s test. The Quantitative estimation of total free amino acid content in mushrooms was found using the Ninhydrin Reaction (Colorimetric method). Qualitative determination of amino acids in Mushroom was done by ‘ascending paper chromatography’. Quantitative Determination of Crude Protein was done by Micro – Kjeldahl's Method. Determination of soluble protein of mushroom was done by Bradford’s Method. These analysis were performed in Central Department of Microbiology,TU. Determination of Protein profile by SDS-PAGE was performed in RLABB (Research Laboratory for Agriculture Biotechnology and biochemistry). XVIII In the present study, 575 species belonging to 54 families and 82 genera have been identified, of which 251 and 324 samples were identified up-to genus and species level respectively. Similarly, in the present study, 50 ethnomycologically important species have been enumerated and through the same 25 recorded species are added in the mycoflora of the country. Among the identified species, 10 species are added in the list of edible species of the country. According to literature review, this research has increased the list of edible mushrooms in Nepal to 181. Significantly, ethno mycological study has mainly been focused on Tamang and Chepang, as they are the traditional mycophilic groups besides others. Here, some useful descriptions including ‘five reasons for the forbiddance of use of mushrooms by Brahmins, different uses of mushrooms , ethnic and modern mushroom recipes , methods to minimize mushroom poisonings etc.’ have been made. The present study has found out that no poisoning and mortality cases were found in high altitude as well as in Terai region (study area): the reason behind this being the locals’ ability to identify the edible mushrooms from the poisonous ones. Further, it was found out that the highly prized wild edible mushrooms are Coprinus commatus, Amanita caserea, Cantharellus cibarius, Laccaria laccata, Russula chlorides, R. cyonoxantha, Scleroderma species, Oudemensiella radicata, Volvariella bombycina etc. These mushrooms are suggested for artificial culture in lab so as to develop mass commercial production technology. In the course of study, 13 research articles were published in different journals and proceedings. Two related reports were also submitted to UGC and DNPWC.