Use of Ovule Culture as a Model for Cotton-Aspergillus Flavus Interactions

Jay E. Mellon


 
ABSTRACT

Cotton ovule cultures were used to study the response of developing cottonseed to infection by the toxigenic fungus Aspergillus flavus. Incubation of cultured ovule tissue with A. flavus for 7 days produced a distinct hypersensitive reaction in the host tissue. The oxidative enzyme peroxidase may play an important role in the interaction between plant and fungus. Peroxidase secretion is a fungal stress-induced phenomenon which occurs in culture as well as in vivo (bolls). Compared to noninfected cultures, up to 20 times as much peroxidase was produced by cotton ovule cultures inoculated with A. flavus. Moreover, a specific isoperoxidase, which was present at very low activity levels in controls, was stimulated to high activity levels in stressed cultures. In addition to peroxidase, A. flavus - inoculated cotton ovule cultures also.produced low molecular weight stress metabolites. Several of these metabolites displayed fungitoxic activity in a thin layer plate bioassay.



Reprinted from 1988 Proceedings: Beltwide Cotton Production Research Conferences pp. 35 - 37
©National Cotton Council, Memphis TN

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Document last modified Sunday, Dec 6 1998