Occurrence of powdery mildew disease in wheat fertilized with increasing Silicon doses: a chemometric analysis of antioxidant response

C. A. MOLDES; O. F. LIMA FILHO; L. MERINI; S. G. KIRIACHEK; S. M. TSAI; J. M. CAMIÑA

ACTA PHYSIOLOGIAE PLANTARUM

SPRINGER HEIDELBERG

Lugar: HEIDELBERG; Año: 2016 vol. 38 p. 1 - 9

0137-5881

Blumeria graminis 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 silicontreatments were assessed through the analysis of lipid peroxidation andantioxidant enzymes activity (catalase, ascorbate peroxidase and superoxidedismutase). Furthermore, biometrics measures as Pathogen Index, dry weight ofshoot and roots, tiller height, spike length, spike mass, grain number andgrain mass production were assessed. Pathogen Index decreased while mass andnumber of grain, dry weight of shoots were significantly increased,proportionally to silicon concentration increasing in culture media; biochemicalparameters were also influenced by the concentration of silicon. Multivariateanalysis indicated correspondence between increase on silicon treatments with decreasingof antioxidant activities of APX, CAT and SOD. It was also observedrelationships between the applied doses of silicon and decreasing Bgt expansionin foliar surfaces. Chemometrics proved to be an optimal tool for integratingdata about metabolic status and demonstrate, in present case, that increasingconcentration of silicon and the reduction of antioxidant enzyme activity areclosely related to decreasing of powdery mildew disease.