Some species of fungi associated with declined Persian oak trees in Ilam province with emphasis on new records to mycobiota of Iran

Abstract

Zagros vegetation zone is one of the most important forest regions in Iran, which consists of a diverse group of arboreal species, especially oaks (Quercus spp.). Ilam province located in west of Iran and in Zagros vegetation zone which has 641000 ha of oak forests that its dominant species is Persian oak (Q. brantii). Oak trees decline is a complicated phenomenon that may result from different kinds of agents such as fungi. In order to study on fungi associated with oak trees decline, different parts of symptomatic Persian oak trees were sampled in different regions of Ilam province during the summer and autumn of 2014–15. Fungal species were identified according to either morphological or molecular characteristics obtained from ITS of ribosomal DNA. Eleven species of eight fungal genera were identified that all of them are reported for the first time as Persian oak-associated species. Also three species including Immersidiscosia eucalypti, Petriella sordida, and Neocamarosporium obiones are reported and fully described here as new records to mycobiota of Iran.