First Report of Rust on Osmorhiza Longistylis Caused by Puccinia Pimpinellae in India.

Osmorhiza longistylis (Torr.) DC., commonly known as sweet cicely, is a dominant plant species in the wastelands of the Bhaderwah Valley of District Doda in the states of Jammu and Kashmir (India). The plant is a perennial herb found abundantly near water streams and irrigation channels. The herb has medicinal value and is being used to treat digestive disorders and used as an antiseptic wash. During a disease survey in July 2010, leaf samples collected from Bhaderwah (Gwari Research Farm of Regional Horticulture Research Substation-Bhaderwah (Doda), SKUAST-Jammu) had symptoms of a rust disease. Rust symptoms appeared as small, cream colored flecks on the lower surfaces of leaves. Numerous hypophyllous, narrow, linear lesions were observed. These lesions slowly enlarged and formed light brown, erumpent, and seriately arranged sori surrounded by yellow haloes. Sori originated beneath the epidermis but ruptured through the host epidermis on sporulation. In later stages, infection extended to the stem, flowering buds, inflorescence, and fruit seeds (1,3). Teliospores were uniformly two celled, reticulate with a yellowish brown wall, obovoid-ellipsoid or oblong-ellipsoid, and 30 to 40 × 20 to 27 μm. Aeciospores were subglobose and verrucose. Urediniospores were subglobose with a yellowish brown color and 23 to 30 × 21 to 27 μm. Uredia, telia, and aecia were observed on infected leaves (2). Infected plant material has been deposited and identified at the Herbarium Crytogamae Indiae Orientalis (HCIO 50095), New Delhi. To our knowledge, this is the first report of rust on O. longistylis caused by Puccinia pimpinellae from India. References: (1) K. M. Ghoneem et al. Plant Pathol. J. (Faisalabad) 8:165, 2009. (2) W. E. I. A. Saber et al. Afr. J. Microbiol. Res. 3:153, 2009. (3) W. I. A. Saber et al. Plant Pathol. J. (Faisalabad) 8:32, 2009.