Morpho taxonomy molecular phylogeny and nutraceutical properties of the genera lactarius and lactifluus russulaceae from west kameng and tawang districts of arunachal pradesh

Abstract

The existence of ectomycorrhizal fungi has been proven to be essential for the survival and growth of woody vegetation. The genera, Lactarius and Lactifluus, often known as milk caps, are one of the most commonly encountered ectomycorrhizal mushrooms on forest floors. But even so, the under-exploration of these genera directly relates to a huge number of undiscovered, cryptic species. In addition, to understand and solve many species complexes more representatives need to be explored and studied. However, with the increase in population and deforestation, there has been a high risk of biodiversity loss. On the other side, the state Arunachal Pradesh, being one of the Global Biodiversity Hotspots, has been completely naïve in terms of Lactarius and Lactifluus, as no relevant literature on proper distributional record of the species diversity has been published. Further, mostly these genera are well known for their edibility worldwide but not all the species are preferred for consumption based on cultural differences. Nutraceutical analysis has also been concentrated on few commercial species only