Impacts of global climate change on mushroom production: challenges and opportunities

Climate change has been linked to a wide range of adverse impacts on human health and socioeconomic well-being. While mushrooms have been suggested as potential agents for mitigating climate change, the effects of climate change on mushroom production remain largely unexplored. Here, we review and analyze the potential impacts of climate change on the production of both cultivated and wild edible and medicinal mushrooms, with a focus on the impacts of changing temperature and precipitation. First, we review global temperature and precipitation scenarios projected by 2100. Most climate scientists predict that global temperature will continue to rise gradually and precipitation distribution will become increasingly uneven in the future. Second, our analyses suggest that these environmental shifts will negatively impact the productivity of most cultivated mushrooms in multiple ways, including restricted substrate supplies, damage from pests and pathogens, and high electrical expenditures, etc. Third, some wild mushrooms may benefit from warmer and more humid conditions in certain regions, leading to increased mycelial growth and fruiting. However, hotter and drier environments in other regions, as projected for the future, will likely suffer decreasing yields for most mushrooms. For many wild gourmet mushroom species, their suitable habitats may change, with the majority predicted to experience habitat shrinkage, resulting in an overall decrease in productivity. Aside from challenges, we also discuss opportunities, including incorporating smart technologies for monitoring environmental factors, utilizing artificial intelligence for predictive analytics, and automating tasks such as irrigation and cooling/heating. We note that long-term monitoring across multiple ecological zones is needed to accurately quantify the impacts of global climate change on mushroom production and fine-tune strategies for sustainable mushroom cultivation.