EXPRESSION STUDIES OF ANTIFUNGAL GENES IN MAIZE (Zea mays L.) GENOTYPES FOR RESISTANCE AND SUSCEPTIBILITY AGAINST TURCICUM LEAF BLIGHT (Exserohilum turcicum)
Loading...
Files
Date
2019-08-29
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES GKVK, BENGALURU
Abstract
Maize (Zea mays L.) is the world’s third most important cereal crop including India.
Turcicum leaf blight (Exserohilum turcicum) commonly referred to as Northern leaf blight
is one of the major fungal diseases of maize causing significant yield loss. In the present
investigation, twenty-three maize genotypes were screened for resistance against Turcicum
leaf blight under artificial epiphytotic condition. Out of twenty-three genotypes, nine
genotypes were showed as resistant and eight genotypes were showed as susceptible
genotypes. Expression of two antifungal genes chitinase and glucanase were screened for
twenty-one genotypes through semi-quantitative RT-PCR. The relative expression pattern
of these two antifungal genes before and after the pathogen infection showed that the
expression of these genes was more of genotype-dependent than pathogen and there are
multiple factors which induce expression of these anti-fungal genes. Micropropagation of
the maize for direct regeneration was done using nodal explants from the maize coleoptiles.
Three Turcicum leaf blight susceptible maize genotypes (NAI179, NAI193, and HKI413)
were used for micropropagation studies. MS media with different combinations of growth
regulators were used to induce shoots and roots. The best responding explants for the
shooting was recorded in NAI179 on MS + 1.5 mgL-1 BAP media. Fastest responding
genotype was found to be HKI413 on MS + 0.5 mgL-1 BAP media. The maximum number
of shoots were recorded in NAI179 on 1.5 MS + mgL-1 BAP media and maximum shoot
elongation was seen in NAI193 on MS + 2.5 mgL-1 BAP + 0.5 mgL-1
IBA. The best
response for rooting was observed in NAI179 on MS + 0.5 mgL-1 BAP + 2.0 mgL-1 NAA
media.