CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

Blumeriagraminis (Bgt) is apathogenic fungus that affects severally wheat plants provoking high losses in wheatproduction. Biochemical parameters like enzyme activity of catalase, superoxidedismutase, or peroxidases can be used to detect changes of metabolism inresponse to pathogen infection. We evaluated different biochemical andbiometrics parameters to assess the effect of silicon, a widely recognized beneficialnutrient, in wheat infected naturally with Bgt. Integral study andinterpretation of results obtained by multivariate analysis is the challenge ofpresent work. Wheat plants growing in hydroponic solution were fertilized withincreasing concentration of silicon. Responses of wheat plants to silicon treatmentswere assessed through the analysis of lipid peroxidation and antioxidantenzymes activity (catalase, ascorbate peroxidase and superoxide dismutase).Furthermore, biometrics measures as Pathogen Index, dry weight of shoot androots, tiller height, spike length, spike mass, grain number and grain massproduction were assessed. Pathogen Index decreased while mass and number ofgrain, dry weight of shoots were significantly increased, proportionally to siliconconcentration increasing in culture media; biochemical parameters were alsoinfluenced by the concentration of silicon. Multivariate analysis indicatedcorrespondence between increase on silicon treatments with decreasing ofantioxidant activities of APX, CAT and SOD. It was also observed relationshipsbetween the applied doses of silicon and decreasing Bgt expansion in foliarsurfaces. Chemometrics proved to be an optimal tool for integrating data about metabolicstatus and demonstrate, in present case, that increasing concentration ofsilicon and the reduction of antioxidant enzyme activity are closely related todecreasing of powdery mildew disease.