​The CLSU Center for Tropical Mushroom Research and Development successfully organized the second intensive training on spawn and mushroom production held last March 3-5, 2023 at the Flora and Fauna Analytical and Diagnostic Laboratory. Twenty eight participants from the different parts of Nueva Ecija, Bataan, Bulacan, Pampanga, Quirino, Batangas, Los Banos, Ilocos Norte and NCR participated in the three-day intensive training. The said training is composed of lecture, hands-on activities and visits in the Mycosphere Laboratories for specialty and exotic mushrooms.
During the lecture session, the three mushroom science and biotechnology experts, Dr. Renato G. Reyes, Dr. Sofronio P. Kalaw, and Dr. Rich Milton R. Dulay discussed the beneficial attributes of mushrooms, the different mushrooms that can be cultivated in tropical conditions, rice-straw based production technologies established by the CTMRD, appropriate design of growing houses and incubation rooms, production area, laboratories and other facilities, possible causes of contamination and troubleshooting during the entire process of mushroom production.
Hands-on activities include the culture media and grain spawn preparation and sterilization, techniques in tissue culture and subculture, the process of fruiting bag preparation such as composting of raw materials, chopping of rice straw as main substrate, formulation of substrate, bagging, pasteurization and inoculation of grains. The participants also prepared substrate and experienced the Volvariella cultivation.
The recently conducted training aimed to equip the participants with the basic skills in mushroom cultivation and to increase their interest to engage in mushroom business ventures.

Dr. Renato G. Reyes, Vice President for Academic Affairs of Central Luzon State University (CLSU) and recipient of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) Regional Professional Chair, delivered a lecture on the recent advances of the Domestication and Mykopharming of Wild Edible Mushrooms in the Philippines held on March 6, 2023, at the Research and Extension Amphitheater, CLSU.
In his lecture, Dr. Reyes shared the story of their expedition and discovery of the various mushroom species found in the Philippines, including the kabuteng saging or "Volvariella volvacea", Ligninolytic mushrooms, kabuteng dimonyo or “Coprinus comatus, and Chinese mushrooms among others.

Mr. Bismark E. Francisco, Science Research Assistant of Center for Tropical Mushroom Research and Development provided an online lecture on mushroom cultivation technologies to 47 military retirees from different regions of the country via the zoom conference on March 3, 2023.
Mr. Francisco highlighted the spawn and mushroom production of Pleurotus, the different factors in growing mushrooms, the required facilities, and the economic potential of mushroom production.

The Central Luzon State University through a grant from the Department of Agriculture - Bureau of Agricultural Research and Department of Science and Technology Regional Office 3 and the Tuklas Lunas Center of the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology established the Cryogenic Cell Culture Bank - a facility of the Center for Tropical Mushroom Research and Development, Flora and Fauna Analytical and Diagnostic Laboratory and the Biotechnology Laboratory of the Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science. This cryogenic repository of mushroom cultures is the first of its kind in the country that aims to preserve the different cell lines. Mushroom growers are encourage to voluntarily deposit their mushroom cultures for proper indexing and storage.

Mr. Benjie Garcia of Sir Benjie Mushroom Spawn and Supplies in Brgy. Maligaya, Science City of Munoz, Nueva Ecija, was in the spotlight as the second Mykoshare speaker of the Center for Tropical Mushroom Research and Development "Mykoshare: Sharing technologies for sustainable and livable communities" held via Zoom on January 20, 2023, Friday, 5:00 - 8:00 PM. The Mykoshare speaker shared his topic entitled "Mushroom Spawn Production as Viable Business Ventures" to the 28 participants consisting of mushroom growers, spawn producers, entrepreneurs, processors, research students, researchers and professionals.
Mr. Garcia highlighted the basic techniques on culture media preparation, sterilization, tissue culture, liquid culture, spawn production of both Pleurotus and Volvariella mushroom. He also shared his personal experiences and the whys he is into mushroom business ventures. Mr. Garcia also mentioned that he is very grateful to the CTMRD experts who mentored him, and where he acquired the basic skills and techniques of mushroom cultivation.
Mr. Garcia is indeed a certified mushroom culture and spawn producer.

The CLSU Center for Tropical Mushroom Research and Development successfully organized an international intensive training on spawn and mushroom production held last January 13-15, 2023 at the Flora and Fauna Analytical and Diagnostic Laboratory. The three-day intensive training was participated by mushroom enthusiasts, farmers, entrepreneurs, professionals from Nepal, Uganda, Switzerland, and different regions of the Philipines such as Negros Occindental, Cagayan, NCR, and Central Luzon. Experts on mushroom science and biotechnology, Dr. Renato G. Reyes, University Professor in Mycology, Dr. Sofronio P. Kalaw, Professor, and Dr. Rich Milton R. Dulay, Associate Professor, served as the resource speakers in the said training.

The training course was divided into two modules, lectures, and hands-on laboratory activities. In the lecture, experts discussed the different mushrooms suitable for cultivation in tropical conditions, science-based mushroom technologies generated by the CTMRD, appropriate design of growing houses, incubation rooms, production areas, laboratories, and other facilities, and troubleshooting in all aspects of mushroom production.

Participants actively participated in the hands-on activities on culture media and grain spawn preparation, sterilization process, tissue culture and subculture, preparation, composting, chopping, bagging, and pasteurization of substrates, and inoculation of Pleurotus fruiting bags, and on the substrate preparation and bed-type cultivation of Volvariella. The said training aimed to develop the basic skills of the participants in the laboratory and growing techniques and to increase their interest to engage in mushroom business ventures.

The third-year BS Biology students and faculty member from the Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University-South La Union Campus, Agoo, La Union participated in the Mykollect. Mr. Leomark N. Parocha, Instructor of the Biological and Physical Sciences Department of the College of Arts and Sciences, spearheaded the collection of wild fruiting bodies of mushrooms within the vicinity of the DMMMSU campus for biophysiological profiling as one of the activities in their Microbial Physiology class. Tissue culture was done in their laboratory, and the pure culture of mushrooms and documents were sent to the CTMRD. CTMRD Head thanked the participants and recognized as certified mushroom rescuers. 

Mr. Jerry G. Agbisit, popularly known as "Kabuterong Maharot" on social media, a solo parent from Brgy. Poblacion, Mayantoc, Tarlac, is in the spotlight as the first Mykosharer of The Center for Tropical Mushroom Research and Development "Mykoshare: Sharing technologies for sustainable and livable communities" held via Zoom on December 12, 2022, 5:00-7:20 PM. The Mykoshare was participated by the different mushroom growers, spawn producers, entrepreneurs, and research students.
Mr. Agbisit shared his expertise and experiences in growing Volvariella mushroom or kabuteng saging. He highlighted the different production technologies using different subtrates such as rice straw, rice stubbles, water hyacinth, mixed soil and riversand, corn stover, kangkong, decaying logs, and mushroom fruiting spent. He also revealed various supplements such as organic concoctions, fermented plant juice, vermicast, pasteurized manure, carton, carbonized rice hull, and their combinations, which are used as substrate additives. Mr. Agbisit also showed the different cultivation types for Volvariella fruiting body production. He also stressed the very high demand and low production of Volvariella in the Philippines, which needs special attention.
Mr. Agbisit is truly a certified Volvariella mushroom grower and an environmental health advocate.

Emily Asasira, an MS Biology student, volunteered as a research staff of the Center for Tropical Mushroom Research and Development to work on commercially cultivated mushrooms. According to her, she wants to be fully immersed in research since she will be working on mushrooms for her master's thesis. She also added, "I want to work with mushrooms because I want to establish a mushroom center at Bugema University in Uganda." Currently, Ms. Asasira is familiarizing herself with the basic techniques on the different aspects of mushroom cultivation, such as culture media preparation, tissue culture, grain spawn production, substrate preparation, fruiting spawn production, growing, and harvesting of friting bodies. She is under the supervision of Ms. Janice Aguilar, a CIP Fellow whose work focuses on mushroom science and bioprocessing.

Dr. Renato G. Reyes, Dr. Sofronio P. Kalaw, and Dr. Rich Milton R. Dulay initiated the discussion on mushroom spawn production together with the 44 mushroom growers, spawn producers, and entrepreneurs from the different provinces in the country during the 2nd Techno-talakayan held via Zoom on November 10, 2022, 7:00-9:00 PM.
Mushroom growers shared their problems with the worm infestation, mites, and contamination. They also inquired about the effects of temperature, carbon and nitrogen ratio of the substrate, culture media for mycelial growth and yield, issues about biological efficiency, among others. CTMRD experts explained the effects of the different important factors on the production of mushrooms and also advised the growers to always maintain the cleanliness and sanitation in the mushroom laboratory and facilities. Experts also requested to send the samples of contaminated fruit bags to CTMRD in order to determine the cause of the problem.
Indeed, this Techno-talakayan is a very good platform to provide the right direction for our mushroom stakeholders towards the progressive Philippine mushroom industry.

Dr. Rich Milton R. Dulay, Associate Professor and Head of the Center for Tropical Mushroom Research and Development (CTMRD), delivered a talk entitled "Myko-exploration of the Amazing Potentials of Medicinal Philippines Mushrooms," which focuses on the different benefits of Philippine mushrooms in the recently concluded CLSU-TUA Online Colloquium for Education and Research Collaboration. The said colloquium was a joint program of the Central Luzon State University and the Tokyo University of Agriculture in Tokyo, Japan, in view of showcasing the different research and developmental studies in their respective fields – as well as to discuss the plan of the CLSU and TUA in fostering partnership. It was enthusiastically attended by BS and Graduate students, researchers, academicians, and officials from the two universities.
Apart from Dr. Dulay, Dr. Gella Patria Abella of ICCEM also presented a paper entitled "eFARM Academy: educating global communities on food security." Dr. Abella also mentioned the participation of CTMRD in the eFARM Academy in providing a track course on mushroom production.

Three research proposals of the Center for Tropical Mushroom Research and Development were approved for funding by the CLSU Academic Research Council. These research projects will focus on the biomass production and bioactivity evaluation of wild mushrooms, development of mushroom-based products, and development of low-cost preservation protocol. The notice to proceed of the said research projects was already received by the CTMRD proponents.

Experts from the CLSU Center for Tropical Mushroom Research and Development, Dr. Renato G. Reyes, Dr. Sofronio P. Kalaw, and Dr. Rich Milton R. Dulay shared their expertise on science-based mushroom production during the Techno-talakayan held via Zoom on November 4, 2022, 7:00-9:30 PM. The said discussion was participated by selected mushroom growers, entrepreneurs, and processors from different regions of the country.
Mushroom growers presented the different problems encountered in mushroom production such as contamination, dieback, pest infestation, among others, to the mushroom experts. They also highlighted their developed mushroom production technologies and/or techniques for paddy straw mushroom and oyster mushroom. In response, CTMRD experts provided scientific explanations and recommendations in order to avoid the identified problems in the cultivation of mushrooms.
Indeed, this Techno-talakayan is a very good platform to provide the right direction for our mushroom stakeholders towards the progressive Philippine mushroom industry.

Researchers from the Center for Tropical Mushroom Research and Development presented oral and poster papers during the first CLSU Research Innovation and Development Festival held on October 11-12, 2022. Prof. Dr. Sofronio P. Kalaw discussed their paper entitled “Ethno-mykology, Ethno-mycophagy and Myko-pharming of Wild Edible and Poisonous Mushrooms”, while Ms. Kathlene Claire O. Ganareal, Science Research Specialist, presented their project on Development of Mushroom-Based Functional Foods. Both projects were funded by the DOST - Philippine Council for Health Research and Development. Meanwhile, Ms. Janice Aguilar, Senior Science Research Specialist (DOST – Career Incentive Program Fellow), shared their findings from the two projects entitled “Development of Low-cost Preservation Protocol for Native and Exotic Mushrooms” and “Optimization of Liquid Culture Conditions and Bioactivity Profiling of Wild Philippine Mushrooms”, which were both funded by the Academic Research Council of CLSU.

Professor Dr. Reyes, the current Vice President for Academic Affairs and the concurrent Director of the International Affairs Office, is currently hosted at the Tokyo University of Agriculture as a Postdoctoral Fellow under the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) BRIDGE Fellowship Program.

He will conduct a research on Collybia reinakeana and will deliver lectures on the recent advances in mushroom pharming during his fellowship.

His fellowship is a homecoming as he finished his Ph.D. in Forest Science at the same university in 1999 and completed his postdoctoral fellowship in 2000 with funding from the JSPS. He previously held postdoctoral fellowships at the German Research Center for Biotechnology (GBF) and the Technical University of Braunschweig in Germany (2005), Takasaki University of Health and Welfare in Japan (2009), and Michigan State University in USA (2012).

Dr. Rich Milton R. Dulay is one of the eleven 2022 Outstanding Young Scientist awardees by the National Academy of Science and Technology. Dr. Rich Milton R. Dulay initiated the establishment of the germplasm repository of the different species of mushrooms collected from the different parts of Luzon Island, which ultimately serves as the only mushroom culture bank in the country. His significant works on the molecular and biophysiological profiling of the 𝘓𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘴 species, namely: 𝘓. 𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘴, 𝘓. 𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘶𝘴, 𝘓. 𝘴𝘢𝘫𝘰𝘳-𝘤𝘢𝘫𝘶, 𝘓. 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘰𝘴𝘶𝘴, 𝘓. 𝘴𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘻𝘪𝘪, and 𝘓. 𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘴 resulted in their successful year-round propagation on formulated locally available agro-industrial wastes.
Dr. Dulay also pioneered the studies on the submerged fermentation of 𝘓𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘴 species. These production technologies benefited the different stakeholders of the Philippine mushroom industry. Dr. Dulay and his team also generated six utility model applications relating to the process of biomass production of newly recorded Philippine mushrooms. With the ultimate goal of establishing the full economic potential of these under-utilized species, Dr. Dulay elucidated their medicinal attributes (i.e. anti-oxidant, antibacterial, anti-diabetic, and cytotoxic activities against human cancer cell lines), and nutritional compositions of 𝘓𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘴 species, which received noteworthy attention. These significant findings yielded novel functional mushroom-based food products such as shing a ling, chips, and powder as food ingredients.
Dr. Dulay is an Associate Professor V of the Department of Biological Sciences, and Head of the Center for Tropical Mushroom Research and Development, College of Science at the Central Luzon State University. He is a registered microbiologist, a mycologist with expertise in mushroom science and biotechnology, conservation and myko-pharming of wild, edible, and useful Philippine mushrooms belonging to the family Polyporaceae, particularly the under-utilized and oftentimes ignored 𝘓𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘴 species.
He completed his Bachelor of Science in Biology at Central Luzon State University and his Master of Science in Biology and Doctor of Philosophy in Biology at De La Salle University-Manila. He was a Fulbright Advanced Research Fellow at the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, United States Department of Agriculture, Illinois, USA working on the functional lipids of Philippine mushrooms.

​CTMRD experts, Dr. Angeles M. De Leon (President), Dr. Rich Milton R. Dulay (Recording Secretary) and Dr. Sofronio P. Kalaw (Luzon Representative), were elected as officers of the Mycological Society of the Philippines (MSP) for fiscal year 2022-2023!

The MSP is a scientific organization of scientists, researchers, academicians and students with research focus on fungal organisms.