UPSC Prelims 2022 Question:

With reference to “Gucchi” sometimes mentioned in the news

consider the following statements:

1. It is a fungus. 
2. It grows in some Himalayan forest areas. 
3. It is commercially cultivated in the Himalayan foothills of north-eastern India.
   
   

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Explanation: 

• • Grown in the foothills of the Himalayas, Gucchi mushrooms are the costliest among fungi in the world. So, statement 1 is correct.
    
    

• They grow in conifer forests across temperate regions, and the cool foothills of the Himalayas, in Himachal, Uttaranchal and Jammu & Kashmir are ideal territory for them. They grow best during the rains, but it can take months before enough can be collected, dried and brought to the market. They are not commercially cultivated in the Himalayan foothills of north-eastern India. So, statement 2 is correct and statement 3 is not correct.
  
  

Therefore, option (3) is the correct answer.

Subject: Environment|Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystem