Physiological and biochemical aspects of the mango-Ceratocystis fimbriata interaction

• Ano de defesa: 2014
• Autor(a) principal: Bispo, Wilka Messner da Silva
• Tipo de documento: Tese
• Tipo de acesso: Acesso aberto
• Idioma: eng
• Instituição de defesa: Universidade Federal de Viçosa
• Palavras-chave em Português: Manga - Doenças e pragas; Fluorescência; Clorofila; Fotossíntese; Seca-da-mangueira; Fisiologia Vegetal
• Link de acesso: http://www.locus.ufv.br/handle/123456789/7183

The mango (Mangifera indica L.) wilt, caused by Ceratocystis fimbriata Ellis & Halsted, has great economic impact, being one of the most important diseases affecting mango production worldwide. Empirical observations have shown great variability among mango cultivars in terms of their basal level of resistance to the mango wilt; nevertheless, to date, few attempts have been made to elucidate the physiological mechanisms underlying how mango respond to fungal infection. Considering the lack of information about the mango wilt physiology, this study aimed to investigate some physiological alterations in mango plants from cultivars Ubá, Tommy Atkins and Palmer, which present different levels of basal resistance to the mango wilt. The relationships between disease severity and the host physiological changes were assessed in three distinct experiments, in which cv. Ubá, considered resistant, confronted both cvs. Tommy Atkins (moderately resistant) and Palmer (susceptible). The first two experiments confronted cvs. Ubá and Tommy Atkins for the possible changes in plant water relations and the differences in the antioxidative responses upon fungal inoculation. The more pronounced decreases in apparent hydraulic conductance, net CO2 assimilation rate and stomatal conductance were observed in cv. Tommy Atkins relative to cv. Ubá upon fungal inoculation, as well as decreases in total chlorophyll concentration and increases in total free amino acids, proline concentration and lipid peroxidation. Plants from cv. Tommy Atkins also presented more prominent increases in the activity of the superoxide dismutase (SOD), non- specific peroxidases (POX), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and glutathione reductase (GR) enzymes and concentrations of metabolites (hydrogen peroxide and total phenolics) related to the oxidative stress responses. These modifications were minimal in cv. Ubá. Greater disease severity was also found for plants from cv. Palmer in the third experiment when compared to cv. Ubá. In addition to reduced photosynthetic performance, leaves from cv. Palmer showed decreased concentrations of starch and increases in hexoses concentrations as disease progressed, in accordance with the reduced activity of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase) and increased activity of both acid and alkaline invertases, suggesting the need for osmolytes to maintain cell turgor and the protection of membranes and proteins due to the higher damages. By contrast, leaf samples from cv. Ubá showed no changes in carbohydrates concentration and on the activity of enzymes, such as those involved in the synthesis of starch (AGPase) and sucrose (sucrose phosphate synthase, SPS). Nevertheless, throughout the experiment, reduced starch concentrations were found in the stem tissues of cv. Ubá suggesting an increased remobilization of reserves for the production of defense compounds at the infection sites. It can be concluded that disease symptoms developed faster on plants from cv. Tommy Atkins and Palmer and were associated with a more pronounced impairment of water relations and gas exchange coupled with symptoms of oxidative stress at advanced stages of fungal infection. In sharp contrast, cv. Ubá was better able to act locally at the site of infection, postponing pathogen spread and the development of wilt symptoms.