Ectomycorrhizal diversity in Zabarvan forest range of North Western Himalaya

The aim of the present investigation was to prepare an inventory of ectomycorrhiza prevailing in Zabarvan forest range of Western Himalayas of Kashmir and assess their diversity index and species richness. Three forest sites viz., Dachigam, Shalimar and Shankaracharia hills were surveyed periodically for three consecutive years (2011-2013) for ectomycorrhiza. A total number of 67 species in 23 genera belonging to 21 families in 07 orders were recorded. The study revealed that mycorrhizal fungal species richness was more in autumn season (45 species) and less in summer (11 species). The Simpson diversity index of Dachigam, Shalimar and Shankaracharia hills was found to be 0.981, 0.910, 0.939 respectively, while Shannon’s diversity index of these sites was 4.03, 2.36, 2.903, respectively.