Biodiversity of Plant Pathogenic Fungi - Kerala Forest Research ...

Table 9: Fungal species abundance in the shola forests
Sl. No. Abundant fungal species No. of host plants
affected
% to total
1 Colletotrichum gloeosporioides 6 13.33
2 Glomerella cingulata 6 13.33
3 Meliola sp. 6 13.33
4 Guignardia sp. 3 6.66
West coast tropical semi-evergreen forests (Semi-evergreen forests)
This forest type is generally considered as a transitional stage between evergreen and
moist deciduous forests. It is also found in localities where the evergreen forests are
subjected to high disturbances. It occurs between 600 to 800 m.a.s.l. and in some places
it extends up to 900 m.a.s.l. The floral composition is an admixture of both evergreen
and deciduous species in the top storey. The prominent evergreen species are Artocarpus
heterophyllus Lam., Bischofia javanica Blume, Calophyllum polyanthum Wall. ex
Choisy, Melicope lunu-ankenda (Gaertn.) Hartley, Mangifera indica L., Mesua ferrea L.,
Myristica dactyloides non Gaertn., etc. The deciduous floral elements are Acrocarpus
fraxinifolius Wight & Arn., Bombax ceiba DC., Chukrasia tabularis A.Juss., Dalbergia
latifolia Roxb., Grewia tiliifolia Vahl, Lagerstroemia microcarpa Wight, Pterospermum
sp., Terminalia bellirica (Gaertn.) Roxb., Toona ciliata Roem., etc.
The species occurring in the lower layer are almost the same seen in the evergreen
forests. This forest type constituted about 11.40 per cent of the forest area of the State.
This forest supports trees of more commercial value.
In the semi-evergreen forests, 59 study sites falling in 36 Forest Ranges were surveyed
and the study revealed that 268 plant species were infected with fungal pathogens. Fungi
causing foliage and stem diseases were recorded from these forests; 892 fungal isolates
belonging to 79 fungal pathogens were found associated with the diseases. Aecidium,
Alternarira, Beltrania, Beltraniella, Colletotrichum, Corynespora, Coniella, Curvularia,
35