Rice straw management through biofuel,biochar,mushroom cultivation,and paper production to overcome environmental pollution in North India

Rice is the prominent food grain required by more than half of the world's population to fulfill their nutritional demand.With the continuous growth in the population at the global level,rice production has also been elevated.However,high rice production also creates a new problem in waste management worldwide.Rice straw,generated after rice harvest,possesses meager nutritional value,due to which it is less preferred as fodder and burned in the field.Paddy burning is one of the major causes of air pollution,leading to lung,heart,eye,and skin-related diseases and even premature death.This stubble burning also decreases soil fertility.In this review article,we have discussed the various economic uses of paddy straw which will help to reduce air pollution through the decline in paddy straw burning.Biochar is produced from paddy straw,which can be mixed into the soil to restore fertility and reduce toxic metals'bioavailability.The generation of biofuels such as biobutanol,bioethanol,and biogas from rice straw with their mechanism of synthesis is also discussed in this article.Rice straw can also be utilized in the preparation of solid fuel.Along with this,mushroom cultivation in paddy straw houses is also described.Paddy straw can be used for the pulp and paper industries,which will help to reduce the tree dependence of these industries.Apart from this,a bibliometric analysis of the Scopus database on rice straw uses for the last 20 years was done,including a bibliographic keyword analysis to show published documents'trends.This review will give an elaborated overview of the alternative uses of rice straw with a quantitative analysis of air pollution caused by paddy straw burning.This review will also help to improve the current uses of paddy straw for industrial and commercial benefits to make it more economical.

Unlocking the growth potential:harnessing the power of synbiotics to enhance cultivation of Pleurotus spp.

The oyster mushroom(Pleurotus spp.)is one of the most widely cultivated mushroom species globally.The present study investigated the effect of synbiotics on the growth and quality of Pleurotus ostreatus and Pleurotus pulmonarius.Different synbiotics formulations were applied by spraying mushroom samples daily and measuring their growth parameters,yield,biological efficiency,proximate composition,mineral content,total phenolic content(TPC),and diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl(DPPH)radical scavenging activity.Results demonstrated that the most significant yield of oyster mushrooms was harvested from synbiotics sprayed with inulin and Lactobacillus casei(56.92 g).Likewise,the highest biological efficiency obtained with a similar synbiotic was 12.65%.Combining inulin and L.casei was the most effective method of improving the mushrooms'growth performance and nutrient content in both samples.Furthermore,synbiotics that combined inulin and L.casei resulted in the highest TPC(20.550 mg gallic acid equivalent(GAE)/g dry extract(DE))in white oyster mushrooms(P.ostreatus).In comparison,in grey mushroom(P.pulmonarius)the highest TPC was yielded by L.casei(1.098 mg GAE/g DE)followed by inulin and L.casei(1.079 mg GAE/g DE).The DPPH results indicated that the oyster mushroom could be an efficient antioxidant.The results revealed that applying synbiotics improved the mushrooms'quality by increasing their antioxidant capacity with higher amounts of phenolic compounds and offering better health benefits with the increased levels of mineral elements.Together,these studies demonstrated the potential of using synbiotics as a biofertilizer,which is helpful for mushroom cultivation;therefore,it might solve the challenge of inconsistent quality mushroom growers face.

Ten decadal advances in fungal biology leading towards human well‑being

Fungi are an understudied resource possessing huge potential for developing products that can greatly improve human well-being.In the current paper,we highlight some important discoveries and developments in applied mycology and interdisciplinary Life Science research.These examples concern recently introduced drugs for the treatment of infections and neurological diseases;application of–OMICS techniques and genetic tools in medical mycology and the regulation of mycotoxin production;as well as some highlights of mushroom cultivaton in Asia.Examples for new diagnostic tools in medical mycology and the exploitation of new candidates for therapeutic drugs,are also given.In addition,two entries illustrating the latest developments in the use of fungi for biodegradation and fungal biomaterial production are provided.Some other areas where there have been and/or will be significant developments are also included.It is our hope that this paper will help realise the importance of fungi as a potential industrial resource and see the next two decades bring forward many new fungal and fungus-derived products.