Ameliorative Effect of 24-Epibrassinolide on Physiology of Tomato Plants Infected with Meloidogyne incognita (Kofoid and White, 1919) Chitwood, 1949 Jasrotia Shivam, Ohri Puja* Department of Zoology, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar-143005, Punjab, India *Corresponding author; E-mail: ohri_puja_11@rediffmail.com
Online published on 27 November, 2018. Abstract Current study was undertaken to evaluate the in-vitro effect of 24 Epibrassinolide (EBL) on physiology of tomato plants during nematode pathogenesis. Seeds of tomato cv. PNR-7 were treated with different concentrations of EBL and then allowed to germinate under controlled conditions. After germination, seedlings were inoculated with second stage juveniles of Meloidogyne incognita (@5J2/seedling). Various growth parameters, antioxidative enzymes, antioxidants, photosynthetic pigments, elemental contents of plants and nematode development was studied 5 days after nematode inoculation (5DAI). Root length and root/shoot weight showed an increase in NI + EBL treated seedlings. Only two galls were found in 83% of germinated seedlings after NI which were further found reduced after EBL treatment. EBL was found to enhance the antioxidative defense system in terms of increase in antioxidative enzyme activities and antioxidant contents. Only nematode inoculated seedlings showed decreased photosynthetic pigments but a significant increase was documented in NI + EBL treated seedling. Alteration in elemental contents was also recorded post nematode inoculation as well as EBL treatment. Top Keywords 24-Epibrassinolide, Tomato plant, Meloidogyne incognita, Antioxidative enzymes, Photosynthetic pigments. Top |