Folicolous Fungi of Medicinal Plants in North Western Tarai region of Uttar Pradesh

Abstract

The  North  Western  Tarai  be lt  of  U.P.  is  next  only  to  Eastern  &  Western  ghats  as  on e  of  the  hot  spots  of Biodiversity  in  general  and  the  diversity  of fungal  organisms  inhabiting  plant  leaves  in  particular.  Keeping the  above  view  in  mind  a  survey  trip  was  organized  for  Bhinga  forest  range,  Shrawasti  on  Oct  29,  2006  and Dudwa  Tiger  Reserve ,  Kh eri  Lakh impu r  on  Nov  23  and  24,  2006  for  col lection  and  docu mentation  about eth nomedi cinal  plan ts  as  well  as  Fol icolous  fun gi  in fecti ng  the  medi cinal  plants.  During  the  su rvey  more than  fifty  five  ethnomedicinal   plants  were  collected.  Out  of  these  plants  about  25  plants  species  represented by  20  Genera  of  sixteen  families  have  been  found  infected  with  sixteen  different  fungal  species.  Cercospora sp. and Stenella  sp.  are recorded  to infected  four plants  each.  Cercospora  was recorded  on Cassia  fistula,  Momordica sp., Clerodendron  and  Lagerstraemia  where  as Stenella  sp. was recorded  on  Celastrus  paniculatus,  Litisea  grutinosa, Teliocora  acuminata,  Ficus  sacra.  Phoma  sp.  was  found  on  Glycosmis  pentaphylla,  Teliocora  sp.  and  Mallotus philipinsis.  Zygosporium  was recorded  on  Mallotus  philipinsis  and Sterculia  balen  Remaining  fungus  were  recorded only  on single  host viz.  Leptozyphium  on Diosphros;  Stenella  cassiae  on  Cassia  fistula;  Alternaria  sp.  on  Ichnocarpus frutiscens;  Sirosporium  on  Carica  carandas;  Passalora  sp.  on  Calotropis  procera;  uredial  stage  of rust  on  Tectona grandis;  Pseudocercospora  on Ziziphus;  Meliola  sp. on  Mallotus  philipinsis;  Acremonium  zonatum  on  Teliocora  sp; Fuligomyces  on  Litisea  chinensis;  Cladosporium  on  Ficus  carica  and  Cephaloros  sp on  Justicia  sp.  Teliocora  sp.  had been  recorded  to  be  infected  by  three  different  fungus  viz  Phoma  sp.,  Stenella  sp.  and  Acremonium   zonatum where  as  Mallotus  philippinsis  was found  infected  with  Zygosporium,  Phoma  sp.  and  Meliola  sp.