Current status of research on Rust fungi (Pucciniales) in India

Abstract

Rust fungi show unique systematic characteristics among all fungal groups. A single species of rust fungi may produce up to five morphologically and cytologically distinct spore-producing structures thereby attracting the interest of mycologist for centuries. In India, the research on rust fungi started with the arrival of foreign visiting scientists or emigrant experts, mainly from Britain who collected fungi and sent specimens to European laboratories for identification. Later on, a number of mycologists from India and abroad studied Indian rust fungi and contributed a lot to knowledge of the rusts to the Indian Mycobiota. The establishment of Imperial Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) at Pusa (Bihar) in 1905 was the key achievement of pre-independent India which laid the foundation for many useful research on Indian rust fungi and in producing many renowned mycologists. This study presents the history of the study of rust fungi in India with complete information from various journals, books, websites and institutions involved. Detailed information of decadal publication records of rust fungi in India published in various journals have been included. Apart from the addition of a complete list of literature on Indian rust fungi, the future scope of research on rust fungi in India along with problems and challenges are also discussed. In a nutshell, this compendium will be quite useful for mycologists, especially beginners to find all available information on Indian rust fungi in one document.