From forest to lab: Kashmir’s prized Gucchi mushroom gets a cultivation fix

“We collected Morchella from over 1,000 locations across Kashmir Valley,” said Dr. Tariq Ahmad Sofi, a plant pathology scientist. “Wherever we found it, we studied everything, the soil profile, the microclimate, the plants around it, whether small shrubs or large trees. We created a complete ecological profile of each location.”