The activity of pathogenesis related proteins in smut resistant and susceptible sugarcane (GT54–9) mutants induced by gamma radiation

The activity of six pathogenesis related (PR) proteins (polyphenole oxides, phenylalanine ammonia lyase, peroxidase, esterase, chitinase and β 1,3 glucanase) in sugarcane were used to detect the variation between smut susceptible and resistant sugarcane clones generated from the moderately resistant sugarcane cultivar GT 54-9 using gamma radiation. Activity of PR proteins was monitored in healthy and artificially infected plants. A dramatic increase in the tested enzymes (phenylalanine ammonia lyase, peroxidase, esterase and chitinase) was noticed in the resistant infected (RI) plants compared to the susceptible infected (SI) plants and to the control. Generally, the levels of the tested enzymes in the (SNI) plants were lower than those recorded in the (RNI) or the moderately resistant (GT 54-9 cultivar) control plants.