Powdery mildew fungi (Erysiphaceae) of the Fergana Valley (within Uzbekistan): a first annotated checklist

Abstract

A first annotated checklist of powdery mildews (Erysiphaceae) recorded from the Fergana Valley (within Uzbekistan) was compiled on the base of original long-term research, revisions of previously collected specimens deposited at Tashkent Mycological Herbarium of the Institute of Botany of Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan (TASM), and earlier publications of other mycologists and phytopathologists. In total, 67 erysiphaceous species of ten genera on 153 angiosperm host plant species of 100 genera and 37 families have been recorded, including 21 species and 1 variety found for the first time in the Fergana Valley. The most species-rich genera in the investigated area are Leveillula (16 species), Erysiphe (15), Podosphaera (12), Golovinomyces (10), and Phyllactinia (8), whereas the genera Arthrocladiella, Blumeria, and Sawadaea are only represented by a single species per genus. Such a particular taxonomic composition of powdery mildews can be considered typical for Central Asia, especially with regard to the prevailing position of Leveillula. The present checklist contains detailed information about all particular findings for each powdery mildew species: recorded host plant species, typical habitats, collection locations, collection dates, collectors’ names and TASM herbarium specimen numbers. The most common species are Blumeria graminis, Erysiphe cruciferarum, E. trifoliorum, E. polygoni, Golovinomyces artemisiae, Leveillula alhagi, L. cylindrospora, L. lappae, L. papilionacearum, L. picridis, L. taurica, Podosphaera clandestina, P. pannosa, P. xanthii, Phyllactinia babayanii, P. fraxini, and P. moricola; whereas all other powdery mildew species are relatively rare.