Fungi associated with Pistacia integerrima with a description of a new species and one new record from India

Pistacia integerrima is a deciduous tree species belonging to the family Anacardiaceae. The plant possesses numerous phytochemicals of ethno-medicinal importance. In a routine mycological survey carried out from July 2013 to June 2014, leaves of P. integerrima were found infected with fungi causing rust and blight diseases. The morphological and microscopic observations revealed three fungi, namely Skierka himalayensis, Pestalotiopsis sp., and Pileolaria pistaciae, which were found to cause rust and blight diseases. One new species of rust fungi, namely Skierka himalayensis sp. nov., and Pestalotiopsis sp. are reported for the first time from India. The detailed descriptions and illustrations of these three phytopathogenic fungi are provided in this paper.


Introduction
Pistacia integerrima J. L. Stewart ex Brandis is a tree species native to Asia.The plant belongs to family Anacardiaceae.The common names for this species in Hindi are kakar singhi, kakra, and kakring.It is a large deciduous tree having numerous ethnomedicinal properties.Traditionally, the plant parts are used to treat respiratory distress, all types of coughs, jaundice, chronic wounds, dysentery, and also have the antiseptic properties [1][2][3][4][5].
Pistacia integerrima is reported to suffer from a number of fungal diseases.During a routine mycological survey In India carried out from July 2013 to June 2014, two rust and a blight disease on P. integerrima caused by different fungal pathogens were noticed.All rust and blight samples were examined in detail for morphological characteristics.In the course of identification of these fungi, two were reported as new records from India.

Specimen sampling
The specimens infecting leaves of Pistacia integerrima were collected in different seasons, specifically: rust samples during the prerainy (May-July) and winter (October-December) season, while leaf blight samples in postrainy (August-October) season.The collection site -Mandi, is located in Himachal Pradesh.The area is a well-known region of the state and popular for its fertile land as well as plain and hilly regions.Specimens collected were studied in a laboratory and deposited at School of Agriculture, Faculty of Science, Abhilashi University, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, India.

Fungal isolation and identification
Standard methods for collection, preservation, and description of fungi have been followed.For examination of morphological features of rusts, the specimens were mounted in lactophenol and examined with an Olympus BH-2 microscope.For generic assignment of rust species, the manual of Cummins and Hiratsuka [6] was consulted.
For examination of morphological features of Pestalotiopsis, the material was cultured.For this purpose, twigs and young leaves showing blight symptoms were randomly collected, put in polythene bags, and transported to the laboratory for further investigation.Small dissected infected leaf tissues were surface sterilized in 95% ethanol (20 s) followed by 0.525% NaOCl (60 s) and then washed three times with sterilized distilled water.The leaf pieces were incubated aseptically on potato dextrose agar (PDA; Hi Media, India).The cultures were maintained at 25 ±2°C for 12 hours.Fungi that grew from lesions were subcultured on PDA containing 50 mg/L streptomycin sulfate to maintain single species cultures.Subsequently, microscopic and cultural examinations were carried out for pathogen identification.
Host and distribution.On Pistacia integerrima (Anacardiaceae), India.The rust symptoms were noticed on mature leaves during May 2014.The disease symptoms were observed only on mature leaves.

Fig. 2
Fig. 2 Pestalotiopsis sp.a,b Leaves showing blight symptoms.c Mycelial colony grown on potato dextrose agar for 10 days.