Baseline study of soil and rhizospheric fungi for the conservation of threatened medicinal plants in Kashmir Himalaya

One of the key elements of the environment that influences how plants grow and develop is the soil and soil testing is one of the chemical methods used to assess the appropriateness of vital nutrients. In this study, a total of twenty composite rhizospheric soil samples were collected from different surveyed areas such as Gulmarg, Sonamarg, Daksum, and Kashmir University Botanical Garden (KUBG) and were analyzed for the fungal association and physiochemical properties such as pH, electrical conductivity, salinity, soil moisture, organic carbon, and macronutrients (P, K, N) with the medicinal plants Valeriana jatamonsi Jones, Lavatera cashmeriana L., and Artemisia absinthium L. Results revealed that twenty-eight fungi were found associated with rhizosphere of these plants and showed significant variation across different surveyed sites and seasons. Likewise, chemical parameters such as soil pH, electrical conductivity, salinity, soil moisture, organic carbon, Phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen also showed significant variation which directly affected the fungal diversity associated with these plants. While soil samples from high-land soils (such as Gulmarg, Sonamarg and Daksum) were acidic, those from low- land soils (KUBG) were neutral to slightly alkaline. Every soil had a high level of organic carbon and a medium level of potassium, phosphorus, and accessible nitrogen. The Kashmir Valley is home to a wide variety of medicinal plants, but little is known about the fungi that are associated with these plants. Therefore, the present study was done in order to better understand the mechanism of native mycoflora's role, which is essential in regulating the microbial host relationship, improving soil structure, increasing plant stress tolerance, improving nutrient and water uptake, aiding in nutrient cycling, and physiology of the target plant species in a particular soil environment. Also, the current study may serve as a baseline for the artificial cultivation and protection of the tested endangered medicinal plants by applying the correct soil amendments in the near future. The study will address the critical identification of soil fungi associated with other medicinal plants and some of the new fungi can be used for their antibiotic or antibacterial properties against pathogenic fungi.