Identification of fungal diseases on above ground parts of trees and shrubs in Arasbaran forests.

Arasbaran forests with nearly 120000 hectares are located in northwest of Iran, and beside the Aras river. More than 85 species of trees and shrubs accompanying with other wild herbaceous plants have grown in different altitudes of these forests. In order to collect of fungal disease samples, from above ground parts of trees and shrubs in these forests, investigating their positions and diagnosing their agents, several inspections were done within a period of 3 years (1997- 1999) in different sections of these forests, and many disease samples collected and transported to laboratory in Tabriz. An identification card is filled out for each of them in which information such as disease code, scientific names of host plants, names of sampling places, dates of collecting and etc., had been involved. In every inspection, colour photographs were provided and for each sample permanent microscopic slides were made from each disease symptomatic sample and fungal signs. For the obligatory parasitic fungi (Rusts and powdery mildews and...), after transporting their samples to lab, they were investigated directly, or first were pressed and then were studied with light microscope and in the case of facultative fungi, at first they were cultivated in culture media like P.D.A., then were purified by single spore or hyphal tip methods and finally they were identified. Meanwhile, 18 taxa of powdery mildew casual agents were identified on 29 host species, at least 13 taxa of rust fungi on 25 host species and 11 taxa of other fungi on 17 host species were identified. Among the identified fungi, six taxa viz. Microsphaera lonicerae var. lonicerae, M. sparsa, Phyllactinia roboris, Taphrina caurelescens, Uncinula celtidis and U. paradoxa have not reported from Iran previously, thus are new records for Iranian mycoflora, in this manner, the trees and shrubs Acer hyrcanum, A. monspessulanum subsp. ibericum, Cerasus mahaleb, Crataegus meyeri, Lonicera iberica, Quercus cf. komarovii, Q. macranthera, Salix aegyptiaca, Sorbus graeca and Viburnum lantana for Uncinula paradoxa, Rhytisma acerinum, Tranzschelia microcerasi, Gymnosporangium sp. and Phyllactinia mali, Ph. guttata, Microsphaera alphitoides var. alphitoides, Ph. roboris, Ph. guttata and Rhytisma salicinum, Gymnosporangium sp. and M. sparsa are new hosts (Matrix nova) respectively.