Diversity and Distribution of Rust fungi causing plant diseases in Swat District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan

Two short field survey were made during 2015 in Swat valley, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan for rust diseases of wild plants. In all 4 genera of rust fungi with 8 species parasitic, on 5 different families of plant Hosts were collected and identified, from which 9 species of rust fungi are addition to the fungal flora of Swat valley. Most of the rust fungi were collected from herbaceous wild plants. This study suggests further exploration of the area of rust disease in order to access the diversity of these fungi. Previously 58 species of 7 genera rust belonging to 26 families of hosts are described from Swat valley. After this study, the species level of rust fungi in swat valley become 65 and generic level upto 8