INDUCTION OF ANTIOXIDANT ENZYMES AND ISOZYMES PROFILE OF CHICKPEA GENOTYPES UNDER COMPATIBLE AND INCOMPATIBLE INTERACTIONS WITH FUSARIUM WILT

Chickpea genotypes (ten desi and eight kabuli), differing in their reaction to Fusarium wilt, were grown in Fusarium infested soil and screened for wilt resistance and susceptibility. The root and leaf tissues of highly resistant (desi WR 315 and kabul KAK 2) and highly susceptible (desi JG 62 and kabul L 550) chickpea genotypes were collected during disease development stages under pathogen infestation and non-infestation conditions. They were analyzed for antioxidant enzyme activities and isozymes profiling. The specific activities of ROS scavenging enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and catalase (CAT) were found higher in the root and leaf tissues under compatible interactions (infection) compared with incompatible (non-infested or non-infected?) during disease development stages. The susceptible compatible interactions of desi and kabuli chickpea genotypes induced systemic antioxidant bursts (SOD, GPX, APX, PPO, CAT) efficiently after Fusarium infection. The isozymes profiling of SOD, APX, PPO, CAT agreed with the enzyme activities and also showed differences in GPX zymogram pattern distinctive in the root of kabuli resistant KAK 2 during infection stage (S2). However, native-PAGE electrophoregram revealed distinctive bands for infected root tissues of desi resistant WR 315 (novel) and kabuli resistant KAK 2 (correlated with GPX isoforms) at S2 stage. The SOD, GPX, and PPO isoforms are more diverse and associated with Fusarium interactions during disease development stages. The results explained production of an oxidative burst and related responses during Fusarium wilt infection of desi and kabuli chickpea genotypes.