Summary
Manganese amendment to the soil was found to reduce pigeon pea wilt to a considerable extent. In plants grown in inoculated soil with 80 p.p.m. Mn, the pathogen colonized only in the roots. At 100 and 200 p.p.m., there was complete exclusion of the fungus. Foliar sprays and pre-soaking of seeds gave even more encouraging results. Tracheal fluids collected from the plants grown in soil amended with Mn suppressed spore germination completely at higher concentrations; besides, such plants also showed increased lignin content and peroxidase activity. Soil amendment with Mn restored the Fe/Mn ratio characteristic of the healthy plants. Pigments, ascorbic acid, carbohydrates, transpiration rate, relative turgidity and water content also were brought back almost to the level of the healthy plants. The role of Mn in the mechanism of disease resistance is discussed.
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Communicated by Professor T. S. Sadasivan,f.a.sc.
Formed part of the author’s doctoral thesis, University of Madras.
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Subramanian, S. Fusarium wilt of pigeon pea. Proc. Indian Acad. Sci. 57, 259–274 (1963). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03053859
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03053859