Mushrooms are fleshy fungi with a high prospective for the production of secondary metabolites including extracellular enzymes with high agricultural and biotechnological significance. Worldwide, they are well recognized as supplementary foods due to their high nutritional values and their medicinal importance, which includes their uses in exhibiting antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, immune enhancer, and to be effective for the treatment of several diseases including diabetes and few types of cancers as well. According to recent studies, extracellular enzymes produced by several white-rot fungal strains such as Phanerochaete chrysosporium, Pleurotus sajor-caju and several mushrooms have shown a high capacity to decolorize dyes that are very harmful for the environment. Moreover, wild macrofungi have the capability to synthesize nanoparticles which are more useful for the treatment of cancer, gene therapy, DNA analysis and biosensors. Wild macrofungi are extremely important model for basic biology and commercial manufacture.

Bhim Pratap Singh

Dr. Bhim Pratap Singh working as Assistant Professor in the Department of Biotechnology, Aizawl, Mizoram University, India, has more than 10 years of research experience in the field of molecular microbiology, biocontrol of plant diseases, mushroom diversity, biosynthetic potential of actinobacteria and fungi associated with medicinal plants. He has worked for last 10 years on microbial diversity and explored the microbial population associated with medicinal plants and rhizospheric soils. His group has documented the wild mushroom of from Mizoram, Northeast India. He has completed seven externally funded research projects on screening and characterization of endophytic actibacteria and fungi associated with medicinal plants and the rhizospheric soils funded by several funding agencies. Dr. Singh has organized several international and national conferences and seminars including India-UK scientific seminar jointly funded by the British Council and the Department of Science and Technology (DST), New Delhi. Dr. Singh has been awarded with several honors like young scientist award in 2014 from Scientific and education Research Society, India and Best achievement award for the contribution to the Asian PGPR society, USA. Dr. Singh is serving ad editors of several reputed peer reviewed scientific journals like Frontiers in Microbiology, Plos ONE etc., and he is an active member of several national and international professional bodies like Asian PGPR Society, Association of Microbiologists of India, MSI, ISCA etc.. His group has published more than 45 research papers in SCI journals and 16 book chapters in the books published by national and international publishers. Dr. Singh has also edited two books published from Springer and Elsevier publications. Dr. Singh has guided 4 Ph.D students and 3 M.Phil students till date.

Lallawmsanga Chhakchhuak

Mr. Lallawmsanga is pursuing Ph.D. at the Department of Biotechnology, Mizoram University. With his research experience at the Centre for advanced studies in Botany, University of Madras, India. He has been working in the field of plant science and environmental microbiology during the last eight years. He has attended several national and international conferences. Mr. Lallawmsanga has published one paper in PLOSONE international journal to explain about diversity and antimicrobial potential of wild edible mushroom from Mizoram, Northeast India. He has been actively taking part in the university outreach programmes to educate the tribal community in Mizoram, India.

Ajit Kumar Passari