A Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) professorial chair awardee has recently conducted a public lecture on wild edible mushrooms at the RET Amphitheatre of Central Luzon State University (CLSU).
Known as the man of science in mushroom farming in the Philippines, Dr. Renato Reyes, CLSU vice president for Academic Affairs delivered his Professorial Chair Lecture on "Recent advances in the domestication and mykopharming of wild edible mushrooms in the Philippines for the bio-functional food industry."
Reyes, who continuously developed innovative technologies for mushrooms to be sustainable and relevant, highlighted in his presentation the conceptualization of the zero rice waste technology, which encourages the farmers to use rice straw, instead of burning it, as the main substrate for the cultivation of edible mushrooms.
He emphasized a popular mushroom in the Philippines called the volvariella volvacea that grows well in rice straw, banana leaves, water lily, and other cellulosic farm residues throughout the year.
In 2007, Reyes wanted to bring back the interest of the Filipinos to grow mushrooms and together with his research team, he introduced Myko Pharming which he described as the cultivation of medicinal edible mushrooms.
Reyes also discovered that collybia reinakeana, a giant edible mushroom found in mountainous areas, can be successfully grown in a rice straw-based medium.
According to SEARCA, Reyes and his team's discovery of various medicinal edible mushroom species has changed the perception of Filipino consumers about mushroom consumption and utilization from an ordinary food to a functional food. This is because of the zero rice waste technology.
SEARCA said the nutritional value of mushroom-based products that was not supported by science at that time is one of the challenges faced by stakeholders in the Philippine mushroom industry.
It said this has been addressed when the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology awarded CLSU as one of the Tuklas Lunas Development Centers to focus its research on mushroom drug discovery.
According to SEARCA Director Glenn Gregorio, the SEARCA Regional Professorial Chair for Academic Year 2022-2023 was awarded to Reyes for his contributions to the field of mycology.
He said Reyes has published more than 100 articles as a lead or co-author in scientific journals and with patents for developed technologies.
Gregorio noted that since academic year 2012-2013, SEARCA has awarded 51 Regional Professorial Chair Grants in line with its mandate of bringing agriculture and rural development to the region by developing next-generation leaders and professionals.
"The grant recognizes the contribution of individual.