First records of Puccinia bornmuelleri (Pucciniales) in Ukraine

A new for Ukraine rust fungus Puccinia bornmuelleri was recorded on Levisticum officinale in garden plots of two villages in Kyiv Region, Ukraine in June 2019. This fungus was first collected by J. Bornmüller in Iran in 1892 and described by P. Magnus in 1899. Until the end of the 20th century the species has been reported exclusively from Iran and Afghanistan, but from 2000 onwards it has been found in several countries in Central Europe. By now P. bornmuelleri is known in Austria, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Ukraine (current report). The recent spread of this fungus in Europe may have been accelerated by the ongoing climate change. Data on restricted distribution of P. bornmuelleri before the 21st century give evidence in favor of the hypothesis that the natural range of L. officinale is confined to Iran and Afghanistan. Examination by SEM revealed that echinulations of the wall surface of urediniospores are restricted mainly to their apical parts. In addition to already known phenological data, freshly emerged spermogonia and primary uredinia were observed in the first decade of September on the late summer offshoots of lovage. This phenomenon implies the possibility of teliospores germination without overwintering since spermogonia can only originate from basidiospores infection. The article is illustrated by original micrographs obtained using light and scanning electron microscopy.