TAXONOMIC INVESTIGATION OF POWDERY MILDEW IN AGROR VALLEY, MANSEHRA

Abstract

Powdery mildew fungi that occur as one of the Erysiphe’s order are the commonest plant pathogens in the world. They are in fact a correlative couple of biological and economic issues worldwide. This study represents a thorough taxonomic study of powdery mildew species found in Argo Valley in Mansoura District of Pakistan. The field survey was implemented when the plants were affected by over-moisture, and infected plant specimens as well as the identified feature of the pathogen were collected by the researchers. Further, 15 species representing six genera were found parasitizing a total of 16 host plant species. Moreover, a few of the parasites have been documented for Pakistan for the first time, and others are the new host associations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. The microscopic study of the internal structure revealed the most important characteristics of the species, namely conidial morphology, hamathecia appendages, and ascospore characteristics. The research pointed out the variedness of powdery mildew fungi species evidently placed in the flora of the studied region and became a starting point for the future recognition of the set of plants in the respective area as well as the analysis of the diversity of powdery mildew fungi (Glade, 2020; Takamatsu, 2021).