Karwa A, Rai MK. 2010. Spesies Agaricus dari India Tengah yang belum dilaporkan sampai sekarang. Nusantara Bioscience

2: 141-145. Kawasan hutan Melghat di India Tengah disurvei untuk mengetahui keberadaan jamur yang berkhasiat obat dan kuliner

selama tahun 2005-2008. Dari total 153 spesies jamur, sepuluh spesies Agaricus ditemukan di berbagai lokasi yang berbeda. Dari

jumlah tersebut, tujuh spesies yaitu Agaricus bitorquis, A. subrufescens, A. augustus, A. placomyces, A. essettei, A. basioanolosus dan

Agaricus sp. nov. (spesies baru) baru pertama kali dilaporkan keberadaannya di kawasan ini. Jamur komersial Agaricus bisporus tidak

memiliki karakter perkembangbiakan yang baik karena secara alamiah bersifat bispora. Kerabat liar dari jamur ini dapat digunakan

sebagai sumber manipulasi genetik pada strain yang ada dan juga untuk mengembangkan strain baru dengan karakter yang lebih baik.

Kata kunci: Agaricus, India Tengah, komersial, dimakan, Melghat

KARWA, ALKA

RAI, MAHENDRA KUMAR

English

Karwa A, Rai MK. 2010. Hitherto unreported Agaricus species of Central India. Nusantara Bioscience 2: 141-145. Melghat forest region from Central India was surveyed for occurrence of medicinal and culinary mushrooms during the years 2005-2008. Out of total 153 species, ten species of Agaricus were recorded from different localities. Of these, seven species namely Agaricus bitorquis, A. subrufescens, A. augustus, A. placomyces, A. essettei, A. basioanolosus and Agaricus sp. nov (a new species) are being reported for the first time from the region. The commercial button mushroom Agaricus bisporus lacks good breeding characters due to its bisporic nature. These wild cousins of the button mushroom can definitely prove to be a good source of genetic manipulations to the existing strains and also to develop new strains with improved characters

MAHENDRA KUMAR RAI

ALKA KARWA

Directory of Open Access Journals

   ISSN: 2087-3948 (print) Vol. 2, No. 3, Pp. 141-145  ISSN: 2087-3956 (electronic) November 2010  Hitherto unreported Agaricus species of Central India ALKA KARWA, MAHENDRA KUMAR RAI♥ Department of Biotechnology, SGB Amravati University, Amravati 444602, Maharashtra, India. Tel: +91-721-2662207/8, Extension-267. Fax: +91 721 2660949, 2662135. email: pmkrai@hotmail.com  Manuscript received: 24 July 2010. Revision accepted: 6 October 2010.  Abstract. Karwa A, Rai MK. 2010. Hitherto unreported Agaricus species of Central India. Nusantara Bioscience 2: 141-145. Melghat forest region from Central India was surveyed for occurrence of medicinal and culinary mushrooms during the years 2005-2008. Out of total 153 species, ten species of Agaricus were recorded from different localities. Of these, seven species namely Agaricus bitorquis, A. subrufescens, A. augustus, A. placomyces, A. essettei, A. basioanolosus and Agaricus sp. nov (a new species) are being reported for the first time from the region. The commercial button mushroom Agaricus bisporus lacks good breeding characters due to its bisporic nature. These wild cousins of the button mushroom can definitely prove to be a good source of genetic manipulations to the existing strains and also to develop new strains with improved characters. Key words: Agaricus, Central India, commercial, edible, Melghat. Abstrak. Karwa A, Rai MK. 2010. Spesies Agaricus dari India Tengah yang belum dilaporkan sampai sekarang. Nusantara Bioscience 2: 141-145. Kawasan hutan Melghat di India Tengah disurvei untuk mengetahui keberadaan jamur yang berkhasiat obat dan kuliner selama tahun 2005-2008. Dari total 153 spesies jamur, sepuluh spesies Agaricus ditemukan di berbagai lokasi yang berbeda. Dari jumlah tersebut, tujuh spesies yaitu Agaricus bitorquis, A. subrufescens, A. augustus, A. placomyces, A. essettei, A. basioanolosus dan Agaricus sp. nov. (spesies baru) baru pertama kali dilaporkan keberadaannya di kawasan ini. Jamur komersial Agaricus bisporus tidak memiliki karakter perkembangbiakan yang baik karena secara alamiah bersifat bispora. Kerabat liar dari jamur ini dapat digunakan sebagai sumber manipulasi genetik pada strain yang ada dan juga untuk mengembangkan strain baru dengan karakter yang lebih baik. Kata kunci: Agaricus, India Tengah, komersial, dimakan, Melghat. INTRODUCTION Agaricus bisporus (J.E. Lange) Imbach (Agaricaceae) commonly known as commercial white button mushroom is the most extensively cultivated mushroom worldwide and comprises about 32% of world mushroom production. However, modern approaches to breeding this economically important fungus have been largely ignored. The previous attempts for genetic improvements in this commercially important mushroom has little success due to low genetic diversity amongst commercially cultivated white strains and non-inclusion of wild collections in the breeding programs. Thus, limited availability of genetic variation significantly slowed down the progress of genetic improvement in this strain of commercially important button mushroom (Hawksworth 1991; Singer 1989). On the other hand, there is a plethora of wild species in the genus Agaricus  in many Indian forests. Many of them are collected and consumed by the local people, mostly by the tribes. There is a great need to bring into cultivation the other possible wild isolates of this much-preferred genus. The new species entering the commercial market can promise an improved productivity, shelf life and quality as compared to the currently cultivated button mushroom. Collection of wild germplasm of Agaricus is the first phase for initiating the breeding program. India being the 6th mega spot of biodiversity has innumerable mushroom species and their ethnomycological importance. One third of fungal diversity of the globe exists in India (Butler et al. 1960, Bilgrami et al. 1981; Sarbhoy et al. 1996; Doshi and Sharma 1997; Manoharachary 2001; Maria and Sridhar 2002; Manoharachary  et al. 2005). Melghat is a Reservation Forest for tigers in Amravati District, Maharashtra State, India. The biodiversity of this region is unique due to its varying biogeographical and physicochemical environment. This region has intermingling forests of highly valuable and endangered medicinal plants, as well as a variety of edible and medicinal mushrooms few of which are consumed by local tribes. Biodiversity of edible fungi has been reported from different parts of India by several workers but this region remained unexplored and the fungal treasure of the region yet unnoticed by eminent mycologists of the country.  The aim of the present study was to explore the region for the existence of the valuable and neutriceutically important wild mushrooms and their conservation. Six different zones in the region were surveyed from July 2005 to December 2008 for the availability of wild edible and medicinal mushrooms. In this paper we report a total of 10 wild species of Agaricus of which seven species are hitherto unreported.   2 (3): 141-145, November 2010  142MATERIAL AND METHODS Ten species of wild Agaricus mushrooms were collected from different localities in Melghat region of Central India in Amravati District, Maharashtra State (Figure 1) during 2005 to 2008. Repeated visits and periodical surveys of the localities revealed a plethora of wild mushrooms out of which the genus Agaricus seemed to spring out in all the localities throughout the monsoons (June to September). Mushrooms were collected from the non reserved region of the forest like roadsides, landscapes, grasslands, pastures. Mushrooms were digitally photographed using a Sony DSC R1 Professional Camera. The collected specimens were brought to the lab, cleaned, and microscopical examinations of the hymenium, basidiospores, and cuticle were performed. Taxonomic identifications were made based on their morphological, microscopic and staining studies according to the methods given by Brietenbach and Kranzlin (1991) and Phillips (1991, 2006). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Results During the present study, a total of 153 species of mushrooms were identified and keyed to 47 genera belonging to 26 families. Of these, species of the genus Agaricus were found to be more abundant compared to other collected mushroom species. Table 1 illustrates a list of the wild Agaricus mushrooms that are identified till date. After interaction with local people and the tribals inhabiting the region we came to know that though some of these species of Agaricus are eaten in some or the other parts of the world, they are not utilized here for food. The wild Agaricus mushrooms (Figure 2) and their description is as follows: Agaricus bisporus Lange Found scattered on pastures, lawns and on scattered manure. Pileus: 5-10 cm diameter, convex in young, flattened in old fruit bodies. White to pale-brown, finely scaly surface, margin entire. Gills: prominent, crowded, free, white in young, pink to dark brown to blackish in older ones. Stipe: central, equal, 4-10 cm long, 1-2 cm thick, white to pale brown, annulate, annulus white membranous prominent. Basidia: 2 spored, spores brown, ellipsoid, 7x5.5 µm2. Spore print: sepia to brown. Agaricus bitorquis (Quel.) Sacc. Found solitary as well as in groups on roadside and soil rich in manure. Pileus: 10.5 cm in diameter, convex in young, plane in old fruit bodies. Yellow to brownish to-wards center with a small depression in center. Gills: white in young, pink to brown to blackish in old, crowded, free, broad. Stipe: 5-7 cm long, 2 cm thick, white, thick annulus in middle of stipe. Basidia: 4 spored, spores brownish purple, ellipsoid, 7.5x6 µm2. Spore print: dark brown. Agaricus arvensis Schaeff. Found solitary or scattered and in fairy rings in grazing lands. Pileus: approximately 10 cm in diameter, convex in young, flattened in old, white smooth surface, light brown towards center. Gills: free, crowded, white in young, pink to chocolate brown in old, moderately broad. Stipe: thick, cylindrical, central, 8-10 cm long, white, hollow, large annulus. Basidia: squat, broad, 4 spored, spores small and brown, oval 6x4 µm2. Both pileus and stipe bruises yellow on handling. Agaricus augustus Fr. Found solitary or scattered in grazing lands and gardens. Pileus: sub-globose in young and convex to flat in old, 3-7 cm in diameter, yellow-beige coloured smooth surface, reddish towards center. Gills: white in young, pink in old, narrow, free crowded. Stipe: thick, smooth, cylindrical, 5 -10 cm long, cream coloured, hollow, annulus thin, close to pileus. Basidia: broad, 4 spored, spores: light brown, oval 4x6 µm2. Agaricus essettei Bon Found solitary as well as in tufts in grasslands and forest. Pileus: light to dark brown, 3-8 cm in diameter, surface scaly with dark brown center, sub-globose when young and expanded rounded when old. Gills: pink to brown with age, narrow to moderately broad, crowded, free. Stipe: thick, cylindrical, stuffed, bulbous base, light brown, scaly, annulate. Basidia: 4 spored, spores brown, subelliptical 4x5.5 µm2. Both pileus and stipe bruise yellow with handling. Agaricus silvaticus Schaeff. Found solitary in bushy and grassy places. Pileus: 6-10 cm in diameter, cream to perfect beige coloured, convex when young, expanded and gibbous in old. Surface fibrillose. Gills: crowded, free, moderately broad, red to narrow towards apex, hollow, annulus thin ring. Basidia: 4 spored, spores small, globose, 2.5x2.8 µm2, brown.   Table 1. Species of the genus Agaricus collected from Melghat region of Central India.  Accession number Name of the mushroom  Period of collection  PopulationMGCC 98  Agaricus arvensis  July 2005-August 2008  Abundant MGCC 62  Agaricus augustus  July 2005-August 2008  Moderate MGCC 03  Agaricus bitorquis  July2005-September 2008  Moderate MGCC 07  Agaricus bisporus  July2005-September 2008  Abundant MGCC 77  Agaricus essettei  June 2005-July 2008  Rare MGCC 37  Agaricus placomyces  June2005-July 2008  Rare MGCC 63  Agaricus silvaticus  Aug2005-September 2008  Moderate MGCC 136  Agaricus silvicola  July2005-September 2008  Rare MGCC 33  Agaricus sp.nov.  June2005-Aug Moderate MGCC 55  Agaricus subrufescens Aug2005-August 2008  Moderate MGCC = Mushroom germplasm culture collection.  KARWA & RAI-Unreported Agaricus species of Central India  143Agaricus silvicola (Vittad.) Found solitary or in tufts in shady places of the forest. Pileus: 6-10 cm in diameter, convex in young, expanded to nearly plane in old, white, smooth, with distinct umbo. Gills, crowded, white to pink to dark brown with age, broad. Stipe: 6-10 cm long, cylindrical, uniform, white, slightly bulbous base, white prominent annulus. Basidia: 4 spored, spores brown, elliptical, 5x6.5 µm2. Agaricus sp. nov. Found solitary in grasslands and forest. Pileus: 5-9 cm in diameter, light brown surface covered with dark brown scales throughout, dense at center, conical to convex in young, more expanded convex in old. Gills pink to brown to black with age, not auto deliquescent, broad. Stipe: 5-9 cm long, light brown, less scaly, equal, cylindrical, stuffed, light brown annulus. Basidia: 4 spored, spores brown, spherical 5x5 µm2.                                                     Figure 2. Locations of mushroom collection (highlighted in circle) in Melghat forest, Amravati District, State of Maharastra, India   MELGHAT FOREST   Maharastra State INDIA MELGHAT FOREST Amravati District MAHARASTRA    2 (3): 141-145, November 2010  144                                       Figure 3. Plates of ten different Agaricus species collected from wild in Central India. Note: A. Agaricus arvensis, B.  Agaricus augustus, C. Agaricus bitorquis, D. Agaricus bisporus, E. Agaricus essettei, F. Agaricus silvaticus, G. Agaricus silvicola, H. Agaricus placomyces, I. Agaricus sp.nov. J. Agaricus subrufescens.   Agaricus subrufescens Peck. Found in tufts on ground or lawns or pastures in shades. Pileus: 3-10 cm in diameter, hemispherical to somewhat conical when young, convex to broadly expanded old, light yellow to brown surface with brown scales. Gills: crowded, free, white to chocolate brown with age, narrow. Stipe: 10-15 cm long, hollow, white, annulated, shiny, swollen base. Basidia: 2-3 spored, spores dark brown elliptical, 6x3.5 µm2. Found solitary or scattered in grazing lands and gardens. Pileus: subglobose in young and convex to flat in old, 3-7 cm in diameter, yellow-beige coloured smooth surface, reddish towards center. Gills: white in young, pink in old, narrow, free crowded. Stipe: thick, smooth, cylindrical, 5 -10 cm long, cream coloured, hollow, annulus thin, close to pileus. Basidia: broad, 4 spored, spores: light brown, oval 4x6 µm2. Dark brown. Stipe: 7-12 cm long, cylindrical, slightly  Agaricus placomyces Peck. Found solitary and scattered on soil. Pileus: 10 cm in diameter, ovate when young, convex to plane in old, white with dark brown center, brown scales. Gills: not crowded, free, white to pink to dark brown with age. Stipe: 7-10 cm long, cylindrical, stuffed, white to pale brown, tapering towards apex, large white annulus towards pileus. Basidia: 4 spored. Spores brown, ellipsoid, 5x3 µm2, spore print brown. Discussion Though India has rich macro fungal biodiversity, most traditional knowledge about mushrooms come from the Far East countries like China, Japan, Korea, and Russia where mushrooms like Ganoderma, Lentinus, Grifola and others were collected and used since time immemorial. Most of   A B  C  D   E F  G  H   I J KARWA & RAI-Unreported Agaricus species of Central India  145the mushrooms grow abundantly in nature and their commercial harvest is being undertaken for the benefit in these countries. Therefore, systematics of wild mushrooms has received more attention than other threatened aspects like conservation. However, the ecological data available on some of the genera is still not enough. Besides extensive surveys and records from Punjab, Kerala and Western Ghats published during the last decade (Pradeep et al. 1998; Atri et al. 2000). In his book Purkayastha described identification of wild Indian mushrooms (Purkayastha and Chandra, 1985). Lakhanpal (1996, 1997) and his students from India extensively surveyed the Himalayan ranges during 1980’s to 1990’s and reported a wide range of wild mushrooms including some highly medicinal species. What is noteworthy is the component of macro fungi that dominates the Central India, and the Genus Agaricus in particular, that has been neglected. Guzman (1983) of Mexico reported many wild edible and medicinal mushrooms along with Psilocybins (1983). Wasser et al. (2004) and Chang and Buswell (2003) studied nutraceutical and therapeutic properties of wild mushrooms including  Agaricus. Stamets (2000) is the sole name in USA since the last 3 decades who is dedicated to study wild mushrooms and their applications in various fields of medicine as well as societal and ecological development. However, research on wild mushrooms in Central India has been greatly neglected by mycologists. Here we summarize that there is an urgent need to explore the Central Indian forests and other regions so that a complete inventory of wild mushrooms can be developed and conservation of the important species can be sought for. Out of the wild species of Agaricus mentioned in this paper, seven species namely Agaricus bitorquis, A. subrufescens, A. augustus, A. placomyces, A. essettei, A. basioanolosus and Agaricus sp. nov. are being reported for the first time from the region and are  promising sources for genetic improvement of the available commercial white button mushroom. CONCLUSION Out of total 153 species mushroom in Melghat forest, ten species of Agaricus were recorded from different localities. Of these, seven species namely Agaricus bitorquis, A. subrufescens, A. augustus, A. placomyces, A. essettei, A. basioanolosus and Agaricus sp. nov. (a new species) are being reported for the first time from the region. These wild Agaricus can definitely prove to be a good source of genetic manipulations to the existing strains of the commercial button mushroom Agaricus bisporus and also to develop new strains with improved characters. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Dr. Alka Karwa is thankful to Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, New Delhi for sponsoring the post-doctoral fellowship to carry out this study. REFERENCES  Atri NS, Kaur A, Saini SS. 2000. Taxonomic studies on Agaricus from Punjab plains. Indian J Mushroom 18: 6-14. Bilgrami KS,  Jamaluddin, Rizvi MA. 1979. The fungi of India. Part I (List and Reference). Today and Tomorrow’s. New Delhi. Bilgrami KS,  Jamaluddin, Rizvi MA. 1991. The Fungi of India Part III (List and References) Today and Tomorrow’s. New Delhi. Brietenbach J, F Kranzlin (eds). 1991. Fungi of Switzerland. Vol. 3. Boletes and Agarics, 1st Part. Mykologia Lucerne. Switzerland.   Butler EJ, Bisby GR. 1960. The fungi of India. Revised by Vasudeva RS. ICAR. New Delhi.  Chang ST, Buswell JA. 2003. Medicinal mushrooms-a prominent source of nutriceuticals for the 21st century. Curr Topics Nutraceut Res 1: 257-280. Doshi A, Sharma SS. 1997. Wild mushrooms of Rajasthan. In: Rai D, Verma (eds) Advances of mushroom biology and production. Mushroom Society of India. Solan, India Guzmán G. 1983. The genus Psilocybe. J. Cramer. Berlin. Hawksworth DL. 1991. The fungal dimension of biodiversity: magnitude and significance and conservation. Mycol Res 95: 641-655. Lakhanpal TN. 1996. Mushrooms of Indian Boletaceae. In: Mukherji KG (ed). Studies in Cryptogamic Botany Vol. I. APH Publishing Corp. New Delhi. Lakhanpal TN. 1997. Diversity of mushroom mycoflora in the North-West Himalaya. In: Sati SC,  Saxena J, Dubey RC (ed). Recent researches in ecology, environment and pollution. Today and Tomorrow’s. New Delhi. Manoharachary C, Sridhar K, Singh R, Adholeya A, Suryanarayanan, Seema TS,  Johri BN. 2005. Fungal biodiversity: distribution, conservation and prospecting of fungi from India. Curr Sci 89 (1): 58-71.  Manoharachary C. 2001. Biodiversity, conservation and biotechnology of fungi. Presidential Address, Section-Botany, The  89th Session of Indian Science Congress,  Indian Science Congress  Association, Lucknow, India, January 3-7, 2002. Maria GL, Sridhar KR. 2002. Richness and diversity of filamentous fungi on woody litter of five mangroves along the west coast of India. Curr Sci 83: 1573-1580. Philippoussis AN,  Diamantopoulou PA, Zervakis G.I. 2003. Correlation of the properties of several lignocellulosic substrates to the crop performance of the shiitake mushroom Lentinula edodes. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 19: 551-557.   Phillips R. 1991. Mushrooms of North America. Little, Brown and Company. Boston. Phillips R. 2006. Roger's mushrooms. http://www.rogersmushrooms.com Purkayastha RP, Chandra A. 1985. Manual of Indian edible mushrooms. Jagmander. New Delhi. Sarbhoy AK,  Agarwal DK, Varshney JL. 1996. Fungi of India 1982-1992. CBS Publishers and Distributors. New Delhi. Singer R. 1989. The Agaricales in modern taxonomy. 4th ed. J. Cramer, Weinheim. Stamets P. 2000. Growing gourmet and medicinal mushrooms. Ten Speed Press. Toronto. Wasser SP, Didukh M.Y, Nevo E. 2004. Dietary supplements from culinary-medicinal mushrooms: a variety of regulations and safety concerns for the 21st century. Int J Med Mushr 6: 231-248.  

Nusantara Bioscience

Hitherto unreported Agaricus species of Central India

Sebelas Maret Institutional Repository

  ISSN: 2087-3940 (print) Vol. 2, No. 3, Pp. 141-145 ISSN: 2087-3956 (electronic) November 2010 Hitherto unreported Agaricus species of Central India ALKA KARWA, MAHENDRA KUMAR RAI♥ Department of Biotechnology, SGB Amravati University, Amravati 444602, Maharashtra, India. Tel: +91-721-2662207/8, Extension-267. Fax: +91 721 2660949, 2662135. email: pmkrai@hotmail.com  Manuscript received: 24 July 2010. Revision accepted: 6 October 2010.  Abstract. Karwa A, Rai MK. 2010. Hitherto unreported Agaricus species of Central India. Nusantara Bioscience 2: 141-145. Melghat forest region from Central India was surveyed for occurrence of medicinal and culinary mushrooms during the years 2005-2008. Out of total 153 species, ten species of Agaricus were recorded from different localities. Of these, seven species namely Agaricus bitorquis, A. subrufescens, A. augustus, A. placomyces, A. essettei, A. basioanolosus and Agaricus sp. nov (a new species) are being reported for the first time from the region. The commercial button mushroom Agaricus bisporus lacks good breeding characters due to its bisporic nature. These wild cousins of the button mushroom can definitely prove to be a good source of genetic manipulations to the existing strains and also to develop new strains with improved characters. Key words: Agaricus, Central India, commercial, edible, Melghat. Abstrak. Karwa A, Rai MK. 2010. Spesies Agaricus dari India Tengah yang belum dilaporkan sampai sekarang. Nusantara Bioscience 2: 141-145. Kawasan hutan Melghat di India Tengah disurvei untuk mengetahui keberadaan jamur yang berkhasiat obat dan kuliner selama tahun 2005-2008. Dari total 153 spesies jamur, sepuluh spesies Agaricus ditemukan di berbagai lokasi yang berbeda. Dari jumlah tersebut, tujuh spesies yaitu Agaricus bitorquis, A. subrufescens, A. augustus, A. placomyces, A. essettei, A. basioanolosus dan Agaricus sp. nov. (spesies baru) baru pertama kali dilaporkan keberadaannya di kawasan ini. Jamur komersial Agaricus bisporus tidak memiliki karakter perkembangbiakan yang baik karena secara alamiah bersifat bispora. Kerabat liar dari jamur ini dapat digunakan sebagai sumber manipulasi genetik pada strain yang ada dan juga untuk mengembangkan strain baru dengan karakter yang lebih baik. Kata kunci: Agaricus, India Tengah, komersial, dimakan, Melghat. INTRODUCTION Agaricus bisporus (J.E. Lange) Imbach (Agaricaceae) commonly known as commercial white button mushroom is the most extensively cultivated mushroom worldwide and comprises about 32% of world mushroom production. However, modern approaches to breeding this economically important fungus have been largely ignored. The previous attempts for genetic improvements in this commercially important mushroom has little success due to low genetic diversity amongst commercially cultivated white strains and non-inclusion of wild collections in the breeding programs. Thus, limited availability of genetic variation significantly slowed down the progress of genetic improvement in this strain of commercially important button mushroom (Hawksworth 1991; Singer 1989). On the other hand, there is a plethora of wild species in the genus Agaricus in many Indian forests. Many of them are collected and consumed by the local people, mostly by the tribes. There is a great need to bring into cultivation the other possible wild isolates of this much-preferred genus. The new species entering the commercial market can promise an improved productivity, shelf life and quality as compared to the currently cultivated button mushroom. Collection of wild germplasm of Agaricus is the first phase for initiating the breeding program. India being the 6th mega spot of biodiversity has innumerable mushroom species and their ethnomycological importance. One third of fungal diversity of the globe exists in India (Butler et al. 1960, Bilgrami et al. 1981; Sarbhoy et al. 1996; Doshi and Sharma 1997; Manoharachary 2001; Maria and Sridhar 2002; Manoharachary et al. 2005). Melghat is a Reservation Forest for tigers in Amravati District, Maharashtra State, India. The biodiversity of this region is unique due to its varying biogeographical and physicochemical environment. This region has intermingling forests of highly valuable and endangered medicinal plants, as well as a variety of edible and medicinal mushrooms few of which are consumed by local tribes. Biodiversity of edible fungi has been reported from different parts of India by several workers but this region remained unexplored and the fungal treasure of the region yet unnoticed by eminent mycologists of the country.  The aim of the present study was to explore the region for the existence of the valuable and neutriceutically important wild mushrooms and their conservation. Six different zones in the region were surveyed from July 2005 to December 2008 for the availability of wild edible and medicinal mushrooms. In this paper we report a total of 10 wild species of Agaricus of which seven species are hitherto unreported.   2 (3): 141-145, November 2010  142MATERIAL AND METHODS Ten species of wild Agaricus mushrooms were collected from different localities in Melghat region of Central India in Amravati District, Maharashtra State (Figure 1) during 2005 to 2008. Repeated visits and periodical surveys of the localities revealed a plethora of wild mushrooms out of which the genus Agaricus seemed to spring out in all the localities throughout the monsoons (June to September). Mushrooms were collected from the non reserved region of the forest like roadsides, landscapes, grasslands, pastures. Mushrooms were digitally photographed using a Sony DSC R1 Professional Camera. The collected specimens were brought to the lab, cleaned, and microscopical examinations of the hymenium, basidiospores, and cuticle were performed. Taxonomic identifications were made based on their morphological, microscopic and staining studies according to the methods given by Brietenbach and Kranzlin (1991) and Phillips (1991, 2006). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Results During the present study, a total of 153 species of mushrooms were identified and keyed to 47 genera belonging to 26 families. Of these, species of the genus Agaricus were found to be more abundant compared to other collected mushroom species. Table 1 illustrates a list of the wild Agaricus mushrooms that are identified till date. After interaction with local people and the tribals inhabiting the region we came to know that though some of these species of Agaricus are eaten in some or the other parts of the world, they are not utilized here for food. The wild Agaricus mushrooms (Figure 2) and their description is as follows: Agaricus bisporus Lange Found scattered on pastures, lawns and on scattered manure. Pileus: 5-10 cm diameter, convex in young, flattened in old fruit bodies. White to pale-brown, finely scaly surface, margin entire. Gills: prominent, crowded, free, white in young, pink to dark brown to blackish in older ones. Stipe: central, equal, 4-10 cm long, 1-2 cm thick, white to pale brown, annulate, annulus white membranous prominent. Basidia: 2 spored, spores brown, ellipsoid, 7x5.5 µm2. Spore print: sepia to brown. Agaricus bitorquis (Quel.) Sacc. Found solitary as well as in groups on roadside and soil rich in manure. Pileus: 10.5 cm in diameter, convex in young, plane in old fruit bodies. Yellow to brownish to-wards center with a small depression in center. Gills: white in young, pink to brown to blackish in old, crowded, free, broad. Stipe: 5-7 cm long, 2 cm thick, white, thick annulus in middle of stipe. Basidia: 4 spored, spores brownish purple, ellipsoid, 7.5x6 µm2. Spore print: dark brown. Agaricus arvensis Schaeff. Found solitary or scattered and in fairy rings in grazing lands. Pileus: approximately 10 cm in diameter, convex in young, flattened in old, white smooth surface, light brown towards center. Gills: free, crowded, white in young, pink to chocolate brown in old, moderately broad. Stipe: thick, cylindrical, central, 8-10 cm long, white, hollow, large annulus. Basidia: squat, broad, 4 spored, spores small and brown, oval 6x4 µm2. Both pileus and stipe bruises yellow on handling. Agaricus augustus Fr. Found solitary or scattered in grazing lands and gardens. Pileus: sub-globose in young and convex to flat in old, 3-7 cm in diameter, yellow-beige coloured smooth surface, reddish towards center. Gills: white in young, pink in old, narrow, free crowded. Stipe: thick, smooth, cylindrical, 5 -10 cm long, cream coloured, hollow, annulus thin, close to pileus. Basidia: broad, 4 spored, spores: light brown, oval 4x6 µm2. Agaricus essettei Bon Found solitary as well as in tufts in grasslands and forest. Pileus: light to dark brown, 3-8 cm in diameter, surface scaly with dark brown center, sub-globose when young and expanded rounded when old. Gills: pink to brown with age, narrow to moderately broad, crowded, free. Stipe: thick, cylindrical, stuffed, bulbous base, light brown, scaly, annulate. Basidia: 4 spored, spores brown, subelliptical 4x5.5 µm2. Both pileus and stipe bruise yellow with handling. Agaricus silvaticus Schaeff. Found solitary in bushy and grassy places. Pileus: 6-10 cm in diameter, cream to perfect beige coloured, convex when young, expanded and gibbous in old. Surface fibrillose. Gills: crowded, free, moderately broad, red to narrow towards apex, hollow, annulus thin ring. Basidia: 4 spored, spores small, globose, 2.5x2.8 µm2, brown.   Table 1. Species of the genus Agaricus collected from Melghat region of Central India.  Accession number Name of the mushroom Period of collection PopulationMGCC 98 Agaricus arvensis July 2005-August 2008 Abundant MGCC 62 Agaricus augustus July 2005-August 2008 Moderate MGCC 03 Agaricus bitorquis July2005-September 2008 Moderate MGCC 07 Agaricus bisporus July2005-September 2008 Abundant MGCC 77 Agaricus essettei June 2005-July 2008 Rare MGCC 37 Agaricus placomyces June2005-July 2008 Rare MGCC 63 Agaricus silvaticus Aug2005-September 2008 Moderate MGCC 136 Agaricus silvicola July2005-September 2008 Rare MGCC 33 Agaricus sp.nov. June2005-Aug Moderate MGCC 55 Agaricus subrufescens Aug2005-August 2008 Moderate MGCC = Mushroom germplasm culture collection.  KARWA & RAI-Unreported Agaricus species of Central India  143Agaricus silvicola (Vittad.) Found solitary or in tufts in shady places of the forest. Pileus: 6-10 cm in diameter, convex in young, expanded to nearly plane in old, white, smooth, with distinct umbo. Gills, crowded, white to pink to dark brown with age, broad. Stipe: 6-10 cm long, cylindrical, uniform, white, slightly bulbous base, white prominent annulus. Basidia: 4 spored, spores brown, elliptical, 5x6.5 µm2. Agaricus sp. nov. Found solitary in grasslands and forest. Pileus: 5-9 cm in diameter, light brown surface covered with dark brown scales throughout, dense at center, conical to convex in young, more expanded convex in old. Gills pink to brown to black with age, not auto deliquescent, broad. Stipe: 5-9 cm long, light brown, less scaly, equal, cylindrical, stuffed, light brown annulus. Basidia: 4 spored, spores brown, spherical 5x5 µm2.                                                    Figure 2. Locations of mushroom collection (highlighted in circle) in Melghat forest, Amravati District, State of Maharastra, India   MELGHAT FOREST   Maharastra State INDIA MELGHAT FOREST Amravati District MAHARASTRA    2 (3): 141-145, November 2010  144                                       Figure 3. Plates of ten different Agaricus species collected from wild in Central India. Note: A. Agaricus arvensis, B. Agaricus augustus, C. Agaricus bitorquis, D. Agaricus bisporus, E. Agaricus essettei, F. Agaricus silvaticus, G. Agaricus silvicola, H. Agaricus placomyces, I. Agaricus sp.nov. J. Agaricus subrufescens.   Agaricus subrufescens Peck. Found in tufts on ground or lawns or pastures in shades. Pileus: 3-10 cm in diameter, hemispherical to somewhat conical when young, convex to broadly expanded old, light yellow to brown surface with brown scales. Gills: crowded, free, white to chocolate brown with age, narrow. Stipe: 10-15 cm long, hollow, white, annulated, shiny, swollen base. Basidia: 2-3 spored, spores dark brown elliptical, 6x3.5 µm2. Found solitary or scattered in grazing lands and gardens. Pileus: subglobose in young and convex to flat in old, 3-7 cm in diameter, yellow-beige coloured smooth surface, reddish towards center. Gills: white in young, pink in old, narrow, free crowded. Stipe: thick, smooth, cylindrical, 5 -10 cm long, cream coloured, hollow, annulus thin, close to pileus. Basidia: broad, 4 spored, spores: light brown, oval 4x6 µm2. Dark brown. Stipe: 7-12 cm long, cylindrical, slightly  Agaricus placomyces Peck. Found solitary and scattered on soil. Pileus: 10 cm in diameter, ovate when young, convex to plane in old, white with dark brown center, brown scales. Gills: not crowded, free, white to pink to dark brown with age. Stipe: 7-10 cm long, cylindrical, stuffed, white to pale brown, tapering towards apex, large white annulus towards pileus. Basidia: 4 spored. Spores brown, ellipsoid, 5x3 µm2, spore print brown. Discussion Though India has rich macro fungal biodiversity, most traditional knowledge about mushrooms come from the Far East countries like China, Japan, Korea, and Russia where mushrooms like Ganoderma, Lentinus, Grifola and others were collected and used since time immemorial. Most of  A B C D  E F G H  I J KARWA & RAI-Unreported Agaricus species of Central India  145the mushrooms grow abundantly in nature and their commercial harvest is being undertaken for the benefit in these countries. Therefore, systematics of wild mushrooms has received more attention than other threatened aspects like conservation. However, the ecological data available on some of the genera is still not enough. Besides extensive surveys and records from Punjab, Kerala and Western Ghats published during the last decade (Pradeep et al. 1998; Atri et al. 2000). In his book Purkayastha described identification of wild Indian mushrooms (Purkayastha and Chandra, 1985). Lakhanpal (1996, 1997) and his students from India extensively surveyed the Himalayan ranges during 1980’s to 1990’s and reported a wide range of wild mushrooms including some highly medicinal species. What is noteworthy is the component of macro fungi that dominates the Central India, and the Genus Agaricus in particular, that has been neglected. Guzman (1983) of Mexico reported many wild edible and medicinal mushrooms along with Psilocybins (1983). Wasser et al. (2004) and Chang and Buswell (2003) studied nutraceutical and therapeutic properties of wild mushrooms including Agaricus. Stamets (2000) is the sole name in USA since the last 3 decades who is dedicated to study wild mushrooms and their applications in various fields of medicine as well as societal and ecological development. However, research on wild mushrooms in Central India has been greatly neglected by mycologists. Here we summarize that there is an urgent need to explore the Central Indian forests and other regions so that a complete inventory of wild mushrooms can be developed and conservation of the important species can be sought for. Out of the wild species of Agaricus mentioned in this paper, seven species namely Agaricus bitorquis, A. subrufescens, A. augustus, A. placomyces, A. essettei, A. basioanolosus and Agaricus sp. nov. are being reported for the first time from the region and are  promising sources for genetic improvement of the available commercial white button mushroom. CONCLUSION Out of total 153 species mushroom in Melghat forest, ten species of Agaricus were recorded from different localities. Of these, seven species namely Agaricus bitorquis, A. subrufescens, A. augustus, A. placomyces, A. essettei, A. basioanolosus and Agaricus sp. nov. (a new species) are being reported for the first time from the region. These wild Agaricus can definitely prove to be a good source of genetic manipulations to the existing strains of the commercial button mushroom Agaricus bisporus and also to develop new strains with improved characters. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Dr. Alka Karwa is thankful to Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, New Delhi for sponsoring the post-doctoral fellowship to carry out this study. REFERENCES  Atri NS, Kaur A, Saini SS. 2000. Taxonomic studies on Agaricus from Punjab plains. Indian J Mushroom 18: 6-14. Bilgrami KS,  Jamaluddin, Rizvi MA. 1979. The fungi of India. Part I (List and Reference). Today and Tomorrow’s. New Delhi. 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Biodiversity, conservation and biotechnology of fungi.

Correlation of the properties of several lignocellulosic substrates to the crop performance of the shiitake mushroom Lentinula edodes.

Dietary supplements from culinary-medicinal mushrooms: a variety of regulations and safety concerns for the 21 st century.

Diversity of mushroom mycoflora in the NorthWest Himalaya. In: Sati

Fungal biodiversity: distribution, conservation and prospecting of fungi from India.

Growing gourmet and medicinal mushrooms.

Medicinal mushrooms-a prominent source of nutriceuticals for the 21 st century.

Mushrooms of Indian Boletaceae. In:

Richness and diversity of filamentous fungi on woody litter of five mangroves along the west coast of India.

Roger's mushrooms. http://www.rogersmushrooms.com Purkayastha RP, Chandra A.

Taxonomic studies on Agaricus from Punjab plains.

The fungal dimension of biodiversity: magnitude and significance and conservation.

The Fungi of India Part III (List and References) Today and Tomorrow’s.

The fungi of India. Part I (List and Reference). Today and Tomorrow’s.

The fungi of India. Revised by Vasudeva RS.

The genus

Wild mushrooms of Rajasthan. In: Rai D, Verma (eds) Advances of mushroom biology and production.

Hitherto unreported Agaricus species of Central India

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