PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (October 26, 2023) — In a groundbreaking achievement, Jayant Lohakare, Ph.D., a distinguished research scientist at the Cooperative Agricultural Research Center (CARC) at Prairie View A&M University, has been awarded a $2 million grant from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). This significant grant will fund research aimed at exploring the potential of discarded mushrooms and dried organic mushroom stem (DMS) as an alternative protein source in poultry diets, potentially replacing soybean meal. 

Dr. Lohakare, serving as the Principal Investigator (PI), is leading the charge in conducting chicken experiments to study the effects of DMS on performance, egg quality, and meat quality. He will be joined by a team of talented individuals. Dr. Abdul Hakeem who is an extension agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources at the College of Agriculture and Human Sciences, PVAMU will serve as Co-PI alongside a graduate student, a postdoctoral fellow, and four undergraduate students, who will all contribute their expertise to the research. 

Jayant Lohakare, Ph.D.

“This remarkable achievement not only reflects Dr. Lohakare’s dedication and expertise but also showcases Prairie View A&M University’s commitment to pioneering research in agriculture and food sciences,” said PVAMU Vice President of Research & Innovation Magesh Rajan, Ph.D., P.E., MBA. “The outcomes of this research are expected to have broad-reaching implications for the agricultural industry, making it a project of national importance.”

The grant will also foster collaborations with institutions like the University of Houston and the University of Georgia, further solidifying the importance and impact of this research. 

“This is the first time an 1890 institution is leading an OREI proposal and PVAMU is a lead on this proposal,” said Lohakare. “We have never done any research on organic poultry, so it will be a new, collaborative beginning.” 

Dr. Lohakare and his team will be using organic mushroom stems as a feed ingredient, which our collaborators at UH will collect from private mushroom companies, clean, and dry it. They will then grind and use it for poultry feeding experiments at PVAMU. The nutritive value, amino acid profile studies, and challenge studies will be conducted at UGA. All these research findings will help to deduce the importance of the utilization of DMS as a feed ingredient in chicken diets.   

The findings will then be disseminated to different organic chicken producers through extension programs. Then, CARC will organize a one-day educational workshop every year at PVAMU to organic poultry and other producers to explain the benefits of feeding organic mushroom stems to chickens.  

The grant spans four years and encompasses various expenses, including personnel salaries, travel, participant/trainee support, materials and supplies, publications, sub-awards to collaborating institutions, evaluation fees, and conference/workshop costs. 

 

By Jenna Craig