Identification of the rust mycobiota (Pucciniales) in Ardabil plain vegetation cover (NW Iran)

Rust fungi (order Pucciniales), comprise one of the largest group of plant pathogens and represent major threat for agricultural products worldwide. In a taxonomic study on rust fungi in Ardabil plain during 2018-2019 growing seasons, 46 species belonging to eight genera were collected from 60 plant species in 16 families and identified based on morphological characters. Among the identified taxa, Puccinia with 20 species had the highest percentage and Phragmidium and Melampsora were ranked second and third with eight and five species, respectively. Thirty one species viz. Aecidium euphorbiae, A. cf. orbiculare, Gymnosporangium cf. oriental, M. allii-populina, M. euphorbiae, M. magnusiana, Ph. rosae-pimpinellifoliae, Ph. mucronatum, Ph. tranzschelianum, Ph. tuberculatu, Ph. violaceum, Puccinia absinthii var. absinthii, P. acroptili, P. allii, P. calcitrapae, P. cardui-pycnocephali, P. echinopis, P. epilobii-tetragoni, P. hordei, P. littoralis, P. magnusiana, P. menthae, P. mixta,P. persistens,P. schismi, P. sii-falcariae, Tranzschelia discolor, Uromycesglycyrrhiza, U. polygoni-avicularis, U. striatus and U. turcomanicus are new to the Ardabil province mycobiota. Gymnosporangium cf. orientale is rediscovered from Iran on Crataegus meyeri after more than a century. Allium atroviolaceum forP. allii, Juncus geradi for P. littoralis, Rosa canina forPh. rosae-pimpinellifoliae and Rosa × damascena for both Ph.tranzschelianum and Ph. tuberculatum are reported as new hosts in Iran. According to available literature and databases, Polygonum serpyllaceum for U. polygoni-avicularis and Allium atroviolaceum for P. mixta are reported as new hosts (matrix nova).