Anshu Deep Khalkho1 , Shweta Nistala2 , Shilpa Kutar3 , A.N. Rai4
1,2Bharti Vishwavidyalaya, Durg, C.G, India
3Pt. Sundarlal Sharma open University, Birkona, Bilaspur, C.G, India
4Dr. Harisingh Gour Vishwavidyalaya, Sagar, M.P, India
Corresponding Author Email: anshudeepxalxo18@gmail.com
DOI : https://doi.org/10.51470/JPB.2025.4.1.87
Abstract
A field survey was conducted from shaded areas of Ambikapur, Chhattisgarh in India micro foliicolous fungi was found from Kulhadi forest in the month of September 2017. The flora of Ambikapur, C.G., India is dense and is suitable for the emergence of fungi. The forest survey of Ambikapur (C.G.) has resulted in the collection of undescribed novel fungus, affecting living leaves of Croton persimilis Mull. Arg. Based on morphological characters, microscopic images, SEM based analysis and comparison with other parallel taxa i.e Passalora jatrophigena infecting Jatropha sp. and Passalora cnidoscolifolii infecting Cnidoscolus sp. a novel species of Passalora namely Passalora crotoniicola has been described.
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INTRODUCTION
Chhattisgarh is known for its prosperous plant and fungal diversity. Forest flora of Ambikapur is rich, little or few attention is drawn to fungal diversity of Ambikapur. During the survey of Kulhadi forest, Ambikapur, Chhattisgarh massive fungal samples were collected on economic and medicinally important plant and one of them was Croton persimilis Mull. Arg (Euphorbiaceae) [6]. Regular survey of Kulhadi forest was conducted for fungal sample collection during every season. The number of fungi till date is likely 2.2 to 3.8 million fungal species, which is only 8% [4]. The plant is known for its medicinal value i.e. antioxidants and anticancer activity [7]. The genus Passalora was introduced by Fr. Summa vagetabilium Scandinaviae (1849) belongs to Mycosphaerellaceae family. Conidia of this genus are solitary, acropleurogenous, olivaceous brown, smooth, subcylindrical to very long ellipsoidal [3]. The present fungal species is never been previously disclosed, hence contributes to a novel fungal species.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Survey was conducted in every alternate month of 2017 at Ambikapur, Chhattisgarh, India. Fungal infected leaves of Croton persimilis was collected in clean polythene bags with a tag with area, date of collection, local and botanical name, symptoms and location mentioned [1,5].
Infected leaves with lesion appearance were scraped on a clean slide mounted along with lactophenol cotton blue and covered with coverslip (Khalkho et al., 2020). Olympus CX2li trinocular microscope was used for morphological features identification. Samples were dried therefore preparative treatment was not given (Bhardwaj et al., 2020). SEM images were clicked under double beam FEI Nova nano SEM-450 at Dr. Harisingh Gour Vishwavidyalaya, Sagar, M.P.
The sample is reposed in Ajrekar Mycological herbarium- AMH, Pune, Maharashtra, India. The sample is also deposited in Departmental Herbarium of Botany, Dr. Harisingh Gour Vishwavidyalaya, Sagar, M.P.
RESULT
Taxonomy and Description
Passalora crotoniicola A. D. Khalkho, S. Nistala and A.N. Rai sp. nov.Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 Type: India, Chhattisgarh, Ambikapur, on living leaves of Croton persimilis Mull. Arg (Euphorbaceae), Kulhadi forest, Ambikapur, Chhattisgarh. September 2017 leg. Anshu Deep Khalkho (Holotype-AMH- 10342, Isotype RAH-42)
Etymology: Novel species name is derived from the host plant genus.
Symptoms hypogenous, hypophyllous, irregular, scattered, all over the leaf surface, 0.5-4 x 0.5-3 cm, brown to black. Conidiophores macronematous, mononematous, solitary, unbranched, straight to flexuous, small, olivaceous brown, smooth, 1 septate, 8-11 µm x 2.50-4.00 µm. Conidia solitary, acropleurogenous, olivaceous brown, smooth, subcylindrical to very long ellipsoidal, hilum slightly thickened, 0-3 septate, 9.10 µm-19.04 x 3.29-3.85 µm.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS
After surveying various mycological literature, new taxon is compared with the taxa reported on the same host family i.e Euphorbiaceae i.e Passalora jatrophigena Braun, U., & Freire, F. O. (2004) (infecting Jatropha sp.) and Passalora cnidoscolifolii (Bat., Peres & O.A. Drumm.) U. Braun & F. Freire (2004) (infecting Cnidoscolus sp.). Some more similar species of Passalora are P. golaghati [9] and P. sicerariae [8]. It was observed that the novel fungal species is drastically different by symptomatology with larger infection spots, short and less wider conidiophores by having only 1 septa and small conidia with fewer septa to defend against the comparing fungal species. Therefore, the present species Passalora crotoniicola is justified to place as new taxon of species rank.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to thank forest department of Ambikapur, C.G., the Curator (AMH), Agharkar Research Institute (ARI), Pune, Maharashtra, India for giving accession number of fungal sample and deposition. Dr. Hari Singh Gour Vishwavidyalaya for access to Nova Nano SEM 450. Authors are also thankful to the Head, Department of Botany, Dr. Hari Singh Gour Vishwavidyalaya, Sagar M.P., for providing laboratory facilities. This work was financially supported by Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Govt of India.
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