Mycobiota associated with diseased Schrenk’s spruce in mountain forest ecosystems of Kyrgyzstan

Schrenk’s spruce ( Picea schrenkiana ) is a dominant coniferous tree species in the Western Tian Shan forests and plays an important ecological role in maintaining mountain forest ecosystems in Kyrgyzstan. In recent years, the Sary-Chelek Biosphere Reserve has seen a significant increase in diseased and declining spruce trees, raising concerns about forest health and ecosystem stability. The present study aimed to investigate the fungal communities associated with diseased roots, stems, and needles of Schrenk’s spruce in the Sary-Chelek Biosphere Reserve, Kyrgyzstan. We identified fungal isolates from symptomatic plant tissues using morphological characteristics, ITS (5.8S rRNA) sequencing, and species-specific molecular markers. Mycological analysis revealed a diverse fungal community associated with diseased spruce tissues. Penicillium and Talaromyces species were predominantly isolated from infected roots. Penicillium species were most commonly associated with needle lesions (approximately 50%), followed by Alternaria (20%), Curvularia (20%), and Didymella species (10%). Fusarium species were dominant in the bark tissues of diseased stems. The results demonstrate that multiple fungal taxa are involved in the decline of Schrenk’s spruce in the Sary-Chelek Biosphere Reserve. This study provides the first integrated morphological and molecular characterization of fungi associated with declining P. schrenkiana in this region and contributes to a better understanding of forest disease dynamics in the mountain ecosystems of Central Asia.