Mycopopulation in five important cultivated medicinal plants in Serbia

Abstract

During the several year lasting investigation of pathogenic mycopopulation of the most important medicinal and aromatic plant species cultivated at the experimental field of the Institute for Medicinal Plant Research “Dr Josif Pancic” in Pancevo and in cooperative production in Banatsko Novo Selo, Inđija, Ruma, Gorobilje, Kacarevo, and Zrenjanin, was studied. Investigation covered following species: marshmallow (Althea officinalis), coneflower (Echinacea purpurea and Echinacea angustifolia), St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) and garden sage (Salvia officinalis). From plants with different symptoms of diseases over 200 isolates of phytopathogens was obtained. From that number 166 of them was selected for further investigation. Mycopopulation of tested plants consists of a number of parasitic and saprophytic pathogens. It was concluded that the biggest number of isolates belongs to the pathogenic genera Fusarium (F. oxysporum, F. proliferatum, F. semitectum, F. verticillioides, F. equiseti, F. arthrosporoides, F. avenaceum, F. graminearum, E. angustifolia, F. solani, F. sporotrichioides and F. subglutinans) and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. In whole, 33 phytopathogenic species, belonging 22 genera, were determined, as follows: 15 species from 11 genera in Althaea officinalis, 11 species from 9 genera in Echinacea angustifolia, 14 species from 10 genera in Echinacea purpurea, 15 species from 10 genera in Hypericum perforatum, and 16 species from 6 genera in Salvia officinalis. According to the point of isolation, pathogenic species were dominant in seeds of medicinal and aromatic plants and in lesser extent in roots and over-grounds organs. Tests for the evaluation of pathogenicity reviled that all isolates of Fusarium species and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum are pathogenic toward their host plants in controlled conditions. For the first time Erysiphe cichoracearum was recorded in St. John's wort, Oidium spp. in garden sage, and E. purpurea and Phoma sp. in marshmallow and coneflower, as well as Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in E. purpurea and E. angustifolia, Diaporthe eres complex and Seimatosporium hypericinum in St. John's wort. Fungi belonging to the genus Fusarium also were for the first time recorded and determined to the species level. Pathogenicity of these important causal agents of different diseases in medicinal and aromatic plants was evaluated too.