NAMC – Newsletter of the Asian Mycological Committee

11. J. Altman, American researcher, who worked in Iran (Power & Water
Organization, Dezful, Khuzistan) on plant diseases, published a few papers on
fungal diseases of plants.
12. H. Riedl travelled to Iran in spring 1974 in order to collect plants, fungi and
lichens of Iran. He jointly published a paper with his Iranian collaborator (Riedl &
Ershad 1977).
13. N. Hallenberg, Swedish mycologist, who worked on wood inhabiting fungi as the
subject of his thesis, travelled to the Caspian Sea region in a couple of occasions
with his Iranian collaborators and the result of his worked was published in four
papers (Hallenberg 1978).
14. K. Vánky, smut specialist, travelled to Iran in spring 1990 and with his Iranian
collaborator visited central, eastern and northern parts of Iran and published
two papers on Iranian smut fungi (Vánky & Ershad 1993).
15. H.B. Gjaerum, Norwegian rust specialist, collaborated with Iranian rust specialists
5. Fifth period: from 2000
and reported Iranian rust fungi in a few papers and also published a joint paper
with Iranian mycologists (Ershad et al. 1997).
This period is distinct from other periods because molecular techniques were used in the
identification of fungi of Iran. In this period several Iranian mycologists were educated abroad
or at Iranian universities who used molecular techniques in their works.
A turning point in the history of mycology in Iran is the foundation of Iranian Mycological
Society which took place on 15 September 2010 at the Iranian Research Institute of Plant
Protection, Tehran, where five executive committee members were elected during the first
general meeting of the society.
The number of Iranian mycologists was increased and nearly most papers were dedicated to
specific groups of fungi. Due to the large number of Iranian mycologists in this period we refrain
from writing their names. It is important here to mention the names of two outstanding
mycologists whose collaboration and support to young Iranian mycologists significantly