Termite mushroom Hunting at Kavre, Nepal. Mushroom research in Nepal. termite mushroom found in Kavre.

Our team (Mushroom Seed Nepal and Research Centre) arrived in Ravi village in the Kavre district on April 10, 2077. It took us two hours to get from Madhyapur Thimi to Ravi village. We had to do research on mushrooms, so we made Rabi Village our destination. In Ravi village, local residents Hira Lal Awal and Ramesh Chaulagai helped us find and search for Tune mushrooms. Because it is found in places where termites are found, it is also called a Debal mushroom. We can find this mushroom in different places in the Kavre district in the rainy season. It grows in places where the termites make their habitat, and it can be found within a diameter of two meters.
Even locals are unaware of how the name Tune mushroom came to be. Because it is found in places where there is a habitat for termites, local people also call it the Debal mushroom. They have to say that this mushroom has a very tasty flavor compared to other mushrooms available on the market.
Ramesh Chaulagai said” In other places, it is called the Debal mushroom. Termites make the Debal (temple). After it makes the Debal, the mushroom comes from the Debal. That’s why it is also called the Debal mushroom. We have tasted other varieties of mushrooms as well. We have tasted mushrooms found in jungles as well. In comparison, it has the best taste among them. Children go to the jungle and collect Tune mushrooms during their free time. We are not able to commercialize it as it has gotten very little harvesting. But sometimes the taste lovers ask the villagers to order Tune mushrooms. If we could reproduce it somehow or if we were able to farm it. We have heard that it is the price of silver. We have even heard that leaders and even the President import mushrooms for consumption. We want to stop that practice, and we want to promote this mushroom.”
Hiralal Awal said, ” From our forefathers, we have known that it is the best mushroom of all. We call it Tune mushroom, as it has been called by this name since long ago. It has a two-month lifespan. It grows from the beginning of the month of Ashadh to the end of the month of Shrawn. The termites help produce the mushroom, and the same insect destroys it within a few hours. Currently, it has buds, but when it is fully grown, it will look like an umbrella.”
Especially, this mushroom is grown in rainy months such as Asadh and Shrawn. As the month of Bhadra approaches, it disappears slowly. During these times, local villagers consume domestically when found in small quantities; when they find it in large quantities, they take it to the nearby market as well. With a lack of proper investigation and commercialization, it has not been farmed yet. Until the research team knows about it, it has a two-month lifespan. Till now, nobody has reached this place in the Kavre district with the purpose of research and investigation.
The upper part of the mushroom is shaped like an umbrella. According to Hiralal Awal, the upper part of this mushroom is eaten by a black-colored insect, and the part below the earth is eaten by the termite itself. Local villagers are hopeful that if it is properly researched, one day it will be properly farmed and commercialized.