Biodiversity of Plant Pathogenic Fungi - Kerala Forest Research ...

forest ecosystems studied, forest plantations registered the highest fungal species
diversity indices (Table 15); about 106 fungal pathogens were found causing various
diseases in this ecosystem. Among the host plants, exotic species were found most
vulnerable to these fungal pathogens at their different growth phases.
Table 15: Species richness and diversity indices of plant pathogenic fungi in the forest plantations
No. of
study
plots
Menhinick’s index (R2) Margalef’s index
(R1)
Simpson’s index Shannon index
(H’)
19 5.665241 17.697342 0.0228204041 4.102671
Table 16: Fungal species abundance in the forest plantations
Sl. No. Abundant fungal species No. of host plants
affected
% to total
1 Guignardia sp. 21 6.23
2 Colletotrichum gloeosporioides 19 5.63
3 Glomerella cingulata 18 5.34
4 Phomopsis sp. 17 5.04
5 Coniella fragariae 14 4.15
6 Corticium salmonicolor 12 3.56
7 Alternaria sp. 12 3.56
8 Pestalotiopsis maculans 12 3.56
9 Cylindrocladium quinqueseptatum 10 2.96
10 Curvularia sp. 10 2.96
11 Lasiodiplodia theobromae 10 2.96
12 Guignardia citricarpa. 10 2.96
Among 106 fungal pathogens recorded from this ecosystem, common fungal pathogens
like Guignardia sp., Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Glomerella cingulata, Phomopsis
sp., etc. showed abundance. Of the nine species of Cylindrocaldium recorded, C.
quinqueseptatum was found the most virulent as well as predominant fungal pathogen in
this ecosystem. Similarly, among various species of Coniella, recorded from the forest
plantations, C. fragariae was the most abundant species (Table16). Corticium
salmonicolor, the most dreaded canker pathogen was also found abundant in forest
plantations affecting both indigenous as well as exotic plantation species.
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