THE KING TUBER MUSHROOM

The king tuber mushroom (Pleurotus tuber-regium) is native to tropical Africa, Asia, and Australia, where it grows on dead wood and produces an oyster mushroom-like fruiting body and large underground tuber or sclerotium which are both edible. It has been used traditionally in West Africa for many centuries in the preparation of various food recipes and folk medicine. The king tuber mushroom has been studied extensively to develop sustainable cultivation methods, as well as potential applications in food, medicine, livestock production, organic agriculture, and environmental management. Being a heat-tolerant mushroom that thrives at environmental temperatures as high as 400C, it has been proposed as a viable crop for marginal environments where it may be difficult to grow conventional crops. Knowledge about the innovative production and uses of the mushroom could be transferred to rural farmers to improve their income, livelihood, and food security. This book on the biochemical, agricultural, medicinal, food, livestock, aquaculture, and environmental uses of the king tuber mushroom is written in a simple, and understandable format, with the goal being to simplify the available technical research information on the subject for the benefit of the general public. It is hoped that the readers will find the information useful, both for their agricultural and business activities.