The presence of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus intraradices influences enzymatic activities of the root pathogen Aphanomyces euteiches in pea roots

Abstract

 Fungal enzyme activities were quantified in an interaction study between the fungus Glomus intraradices and the pea pathogen Aphanomyces euteiches. Fungal and host enzymes were separated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and the activity of A. euteiches–specific glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (Gd), phosphoglucomutase and peptidase (PEP) enzymes were quantified by densitometry. The activity of A. euteiches–specific enzymes increased until 14 days after inoculation with A. euteiches, and then decreased. The plants preinoculated with G. intraradices showed no symptoms of severe root rot even though the pathogen was present and active in these plants. Thus, plants preinoculated with G. intraradices were more tolerant of infection with A. euteiches than non-mycorrhizal plants. This effect was evident even though the A. euteiches infection levels of mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal plants were the same. A. euteiches enzyme activities in the mycorrhizal plants were different to those in non-mycorrhizal plants. The peaks of PEP and Gd enzyme activity of A. euteiches were lower and the development of A. euteiches PEP activity was later in the mycorrhizal plants than in the non-mycorrhizal plants.