Peroxidase Activity during Leaf Infection of Mulberry (Morus alba L.) with Brown Leaf Spot Fungus Myrothecium roridum

Peroxidase activity was measured in brown leaf spot pathogen (Myrothecium roridum) inoculated potted mulberry (Morus alba) during pre-symptomatic to various symptom development stages and compared with corresponding healthy leaf tissues. The enzyme showed a pH optimum of 7.0 and the activity was linearly increased up to 15 min of incubation. The peroxidase had a broad substrate specificity and the rates of oxidation were in the rank of pyrogallol> guaiacol> ascorbate at pH 7.0. Catechol at 10 mM inhibited 89% of guaiacol-peroxidase and 76% pyrogallol-peroxidase activities, indicated higher non-specific peroxidation in pyrogallol dependent assay system in mulberry than guaiacol. The optimum requirement for the guaiacol dependent assay was 0.2 ml (${\approx}40-60{\mu}g$ equivalent of protein) of crude enzyme source. Excepting the 8th leaf from the apex, the peroxidase activity did not vary appreciably in different leaf positions. In pre-symptomatic phases, an initial (1 to 5 min) rise of peroxidase activity was noticed in inoculated leaves, and then maintained a plateau up to 300 min. In contrary, non-infected tissue showed a slightly increased trend of enzyme level up to 420 min. In infected tissue, a sharp transient increase (3.1 fold) of peroxidase activity appeared between 300 - 420 min post infections. Afterwards, significantly different but steady maintenance of enzyme levels were observed in two treatments. On the other hand, during symptom development, a sharp increase in peroxidase activity was noticed up to 4th grade of lesion appearance (25.1 % to 50% of leaf area infection), and then declined slightly. However, in non-infected but same age healthy leaves, such huge fluctuations of enzyme level did not apparent. A high positive correlation $(R^2=0.92)$ between peroxidase activity and leaf spot development grades was also marked. The result implies that pre-symptomatic burst (between 1 - 5 and 300 - 420 min) and subsequent increased trend of guaiacol peroxidase activity may require for the symptomatic manifestation of Myrothecium leaf spot in mulberry.