Diseases of medicinal plants growing in Kaunas Botanical garden of Vytautas Magnus university

Abstract

Medicinal plants in Kaunas Botanical Garden are grown since 1924. Currently there are about 350 species in the collection. Medicinal plants accumulate essential oils, bitter substances, are toxic, therefore are able to resist pathogens in there natural habitat. Plants grown in culture suffer from diseases more often. Occurrancy and spread of diseases depends on plant species, climatic conditions, season. In spring time several rust pathogens specific for this season reveals itself: Alium genus plants Puccinia sessilis, Sanguisorba minor (Phragmidium sanguisorbae). The number of diseases at summer increases: leaf spots, agents of which are Ramularia, Colletotrichum, Septoria genus fungi, injure Althaea officinalis, Convallaria majalis, Levisticum officinale, Valeriana officinalis, Oenothera biennis, Chamerion angustifolium, Salvia officinalis, Viola tricolor. During humid summer many plant species are injured by the true mildew: Anthemis nobilis (Golovinomyces orontii), Humulus lupulus (Podosphaera macularis), Machonia sp. (Erysiphe berberidis), Melissa officinalis and Mentha piperita (Neoerysiphe galeopsidis), Valeriana officinalis (Golovinomyces valerianae), Pulmonaria obscura (Golovinomyces cynoglossi), Symphytum officinale and Alchemilla vulgaris (Podosphaera aphanis). Every year rust injure various plant species: Althaea officinalis (Puccinia malvacearum), Mentha piperita (Puccinia menthae), Valeriana officinalis (Uromyces valerianae), Levisticum officinale (Puccinia bornmuelleri), Veratrum lobelianum and V. nigrum (Uromyces veratri), Angelica archangelica (Puccinia angelicae), Balsamita major (Puccinia tanaceti). The majority of medicinal plant species grown in Kaunas Botanical Garden of Vytautas Magnus University are healthy.