BIODIVERSITY OF ECTOMYCORRfflZAL FUNGI OF PAHALGAM FORESTS (JAMMU & KASHMIR)

摘要

The present paper describes the rich ectomycorrhizai diversity existing in forests of Pahalgam in district Anantnag of Kashmir valley. Eight hitherto unreported ectomycorrhizai fungi from Jammu and Kashmir State, collected and identified during the survey conducted in March - October 2006 are described.The Kashmir valley is the dominant physiognomic feature which has an area of 8,128 km~2, covered dense forests. Mostly these forests are dominated by Pines (Pinus wallichiana and P. roxburghii), beodar (Cedrus deodara), Spruce (Picea smithiana) and fir (Abies pindrow). The Kashmir valley is characterised by a Mediterranean climate with hot and dry periods only in June and July and a high precipitation in cooler periods which favours luKuriant forest tree growth. Pahalgam, a tourist place of valley surrounded by dense forests, is about 90 km away from the summer capital Srinagar and lies at an altitude of .2667 m msal to the North East side. The forests of Pahalgam are dominated by Pines and Spruce intermixed with Fir and Maple etc. in their upper ranges. The Pahalgam forests possess rich mycorrhizal diversity which has not yet been explored on exierisive scale. Though various macrofungi have been reported from Kashmir (Kaul et al, 1978; Abraham er al., 1980; 1988; Abraham and Kaul, 1985; Wdliing and Abraham, 1992; Dar et al, 2007,2008), the present report gives an account of some hitherto unreported mycorrhizal species from Jammu and Kdsninir State found during forest survey in 2006.