Studies on growth conditions of wild edible mushroom helvella crispa fries selected from North West Himalayan region

Helvella crispa is an ancient term for an aromatic herb. The specific epithet crispa comes from Latin and means curled or wrinkled - a reference to the contorted cap or saddle of this woodland fungus. The saddle-shaped cap may have two or three major undulations and many minor curled contortions. The upper surface is smooth and cream or occasionally pinkish or pale ochre; the underside is pale ochre and slightly downy. The upward tapering stem is white and ornately furrowed or fluted; it is hollow and has thin, elastic flesh. Major factors essential for growing mycelium in laboratory are nutrients, temperature, pH and light and dark conditions. The impact of these factors on the growth of Helvella crispa was investigated under laboratory conditions. The aim of the Helvella crispa investigation was to determine optimal conditions for the development of the fungus. The results showed Yeastal Potato Dextrose Agar medium as best solid medium, Glucose-Asparagine as best liquid medium, optimal temperature was 25°C, whereas optimal pH was 6.0 under dark conditions.