For millennia, mushrooms have been valued as edible and medical provisions for humankind. With the popularization of mushroom farming and/or industrialization, mushroom production worldwide continues to increase. It is estimated that more than 10 million metric has already had an impact at national and regional levels. This impact is expected to continue increasing and expanding in the future, because more than 70 % of agricultural and forest materials are nonproductive and have been wasted in the processing. The mushroom conversion has been named the »non-green revolution« (2,3). However, the mushroom science is a relatively new applied science and the mushroom industry is still small compared to many plant crops, so the investment is limited. As a consequence, scientific research on mushrooms generally lags behind that of plant and animal (4). This article deals with the advances of mushroom science and biotechnology in the last decade.tonnes of edible and medicinal mushrooms were produced last year in various countries (1). Mushroom production can convert the huge lignocellulosic waste materials into a wide diversity of products (edible or medicinal food, feed and fertilizers), protecting and regenerating the environment. In addition, the mushroom production can generate equitable economic growth that