Awild edible mushroomTermitomyces albuminosus Berk and its importance among tribal people of Sivasagar district of Assam

Abstract

Sivasagar district is a historically important place of Assam and a transitional area between Assam-Nagaland and Assam-\rArunachal Pradesh. Tea and rice are the major cultivated crop of the district. More than 26 different tribal groups such\ras Missings and others like Tai Ahoms, Tai khamyang, Tai phake, Sonowal, Kacharis, Moran, Motak, Tea tribes of\rdifferent communities of the study site live in different areas and depend upon the wild sources. The district is rich in\rbiodervisity including the fungal diversity. This paper deals with the study of a specific mushroom ‘Termitomyces\ralbuminosus’ belonging to the class Basidiomycetes of fungi, which is edible and is taken as food by different tribal\rpeople of Sivasagar district traditionally. It is a long stemmed mushroom having basidiocarp or fruiting body of somewhat\rwhite to pale brown in colour and grows generally on bamboo litters where termite nests are there and also on soil. The\rtraditional uses of this mushroom still serve the need of more than 60 per cent of the different tribes of Assam. The\rpresent paper deals with the result of intensive field surveys conducted between 2013-2014. It was observed that it gives\reconomic support to the rural people but different anthropogenic factors greatly influence on the natural growth of this\rmushroom.