A global catastrophe like a nuclear war, volcanic eruption or large asteroid strike would endanger the agricultural productivity by reducing sunlight and temperature and disrupting rainfall patterns, thus threatening the starvation of survivors of the initial event. To feed the human population, the potential of food crops like mushrooms are explored. Mushrooms like Pleurotus ostreatus and Pholiota nameko prefer cool growing conditions and complete their lifecycle within 30- 40 days. Cold strains of the mushrooms are selected and can be grown on woody substrates. The effects of light and formula on the yield and nutritional content of mushrooms will be analyzed. Mycelial growth, days to fruiting, morphology and yield will be observed. Proteomic studies will be conducted to analyze the enzyme levels at various growth stages of Pleurotus ostreatus and their relation to the carbon breakdown. This may help in improving the production efficiencies of oyster mushrooms through breeding or upregulating genes responsible for enzymatic breakdown of complex carbon molecules.
Presented by Swathi Kothattil, Graduate Student, Penn State