Impact of Foliar Nickel Application on Urease Activity, Antioxidant Metabolism and Control of Powdery Mildew (Microsphaera Diffusa) in Soybean Plants
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Plant Pathology (2018) 67, 1502–1513 Doi: 10.1111/ppa.12871 Impact of foliar nickel application on urease activity, antioxidant metabolism and control of powdery mildew (Microsphaera diffusa) in soybean plants J. P. Q. Barcelosa,H.P.G.Reisa, C. V. Godoyb, P. L. Gratao~ c, E. Furlani Juniora, F. F. Puttid, M. Camposd and A. R. Reisad* aSao~ Paulo State University – UNESP, Ilha Solteira, SP, 15385-000; bEmbrapa Soybean, Rodovia Carlos Joao~ Strass – Distrito de Warta, Londrina, 86001-970, PR; cSao~ Paulo State University – UNESP, Jaboticabal, 79560-000, SP; and dSao~ Paulo State University – UNESP, Tupa,~ 17602-496, SP, Brazil Nickel (Ni) is a cofactor for urease, an enzyme that breaks down urea into ammonia and carbon dioxide. This study aimed to evaluate the physiological impact of Ni on urea, antioxidant metabolism and powdery mildew severity in soy- À bean plants. Seven levels of Ni (0, 10, 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 g ha 1) alone or combined with the fungicides fluxapy- À roxad and pyraclostrobin were applied to soybean plants. The total Ni concentration ranged from 3.8 to 38.0 mg kg 1 À in leaves and 3.0 to 18.0 mg kg 1 in seeds. A strong correlation was observed between Ni concentration in the leaves À and seeds, indicating translocation of Ni from leaves to seeds. Application of Ni above 60 g ha 1 increased lipid perox- À À idation in the leaf tissues, indicative of oxidative stress. Application of 40 g ha 1 Ni combined with 300 mL ha 1 of fungicide reduced powdery mildew severity by up to 99%. Superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase and urease enzyme activity were greatest under these conditions. Urea concentration decreased in response to Ni application. Urease activity in soybean leaves showed a negative correlation with powdery mildew severity. The leaf Ni concentra- tion showed a positive correlation with the urease and a negative correlation with powdery mildew severity. The results of this study suggest that urease is a key enzyme regulated by Ni and has a role in host defence against powdery mil- dew by stimulating antioxidant metabolism in soybean plants. Keywords: antioxidative metabolism, fungicides, nickel, soybean, urea, urease Introduction mildew (Godoy et al., 2016), and require fungicide appli- cation. The use of a fungicide mixture with at least two As a result of improved disease management and plant active ingredients with different actions, such as a stro- breeding programmes, soybean (Glycine max) has bilurin and a carboxamide fungicide, is recommended to increased in production over the last few decades. Fertil- avoid fungal resistance to chemicals. Both active ingredi- izer application and effective pest and disease control are ents block fungal mitochondrial respiration, but they act the main management practices adopted to ensure high on distinct sites. In addition, these molecules are known soybean yield (Godoy et al., 2016). to exert a positive physiological effect on plant antioxi- Disease occurrence is one of the limiting factors for dant metabolism, fighting both biotic and abiotic stress higher soybean yields (Godoy et al., 2016). Powdery mil- (Godoy et al., 2016). dew, caused by the fungus Microsphaera diffusa, devel- An economically viable alternative for controlling pow- ops on the leaf surface, forming a thin layer of mycelium dery mildew is foliar fertilization with micronutrients. and reducing the photosynthetic active area by up to When applied at low concentrations, Ni can reduce fungal 50%. This leads to leaf drying and premature fall in sev- diseases when used alone or in combination with fungi- ere cases, thereby causing yield losses of 10–50% cides. The nutritional status of the plant determines sus- (McTaggart et al., 2012). ceptibility to the disease. The essential role of Ni in plants The most efficient method of controlling powdery was demonstrated by Dixon et al. (1975), who found that mildew is the use of resistant cultivars. However, some this metal is a structural component of the metalloenzyme resistant cultivars become susceptible when sown in urease (urea amidohydrolase), which has two Ni ions in seasons most favourable to the occurrence of powdery its active centre (Ciurli, 2001). This enzyme catalyses the hydrolysis of urea into ammonia and carbon dioxide *E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] (Dixon et al., 1975). The importance of Ni has been shown in several plant species, as observed by Eskew et al. (1983) and Brown et al. (1987), who found low urease Published online 21 May 2018 activity in soybean, bean and barley due to Ni deficiency, 1502 ª 2018 British Society for Plant Pathology Nickel control soybean powdery mildew 1503 resulting in an accumulation of urea in the leaf tissue. the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock for the con- Urease occurs in two isoenzymatic forms in soybean trol of soybean diseases, including powdery mildew. In addition, plants, one of high expression called embryo-specific this fungicide is of interest to this study because the physiologi- urease, synthesized in the seed, and the other called ubiq- cal actions of the active ingredients (fluxapyroxad and pyra- uitous urease, which is synthesized in the other plant tis- clostrobin) on the plant are known (Godoy et al., 2016). sues and plays an important role in nitrogen metabolism (Polacco et al., 2013; Fabiano et al., 2015). Experimental set-up and procedures In addition to the nutritional effects of Ni on nitrogen The experiment was conducted under a no-tillage system. Soil metabolism, this micronutrient can directly affect patho- acidity was not corrected because the base saturation was ade- genic microorganisms, as reported for bacteria and fungi quate for the soybean requirements. The area was desiccated (Wood & Reilly, 2007; Wiebke-Strohm et al., 2012). 20 days before sowing with Roundup Original (glyphosate, À À Foliar spraying with Ni at low concentrations also 4Lha 1), Aurora 400 EC (carfentrazone-ethyl, 200 mL ha 1), increases tolerance to biotic and abiotic stress in plants and 0.5% mineral oil. because this micronutrient stimulates antioxidant The soybean cultivar TMG 7062 IPRO (semideterminate metabolism, increasing the activity of enzymes of the growth, white flower, short cycle, susceptible to powdery mildew, ascorbate–glutathione cycle, such as catalase (CAT), INOX technology, and Intacta RR2 PRO), previously treated À1 peroxidase (POD) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), with Standak Top (2 mL kg seed), was seeded at a density of which protect plant cells against reactive oxygen species approximately 267 000 plants per hectare. The experimental plots consisted of four 6-m rows spaced 0.45 m apart, and the useful (ROS) (Noctor & Foyer, 2016). area included the two central rows, excluding 0.5 m at the ends. À Foliar application of Ni alone or combined with chem- The seeds were inoculated simultaneously with 3 mL ha 1 of ical control with fungicides may be a viable alternative the liquid commercial product and the nitrogen-fixing bacterium for the management of powdery mildew in soybean. This Bradyrhizobium japonicum (strain SEMIA 6462, product regis- study aimed to evaluate the physiological and biochemi- tration number SP 00581-10030-1, 2 9 109 colony-forming À À cal effect of Ni alone or combined with chemical control units g 1, BIOMAX). For fertilization with NPK, 350 kg ha 1 with fungicides on powdery mildew control and its rela- of 4-30-10 fertilizer was applied. tion with nutritional status, antioxidative stress, and The soybean seeds were sown on 5 March 2015, and the nitrogen metabolism in soybean plants. seedlings emerged 7 days after seeding. The late sowings or win- ter interim-harvest and cultivation are periods more favourable to powdery mildew occurrence because the fungus requires tem- Materials and methods peratures of approximately 18–24 °C and low relative humidity for development (Godoy et al., 2016). Experimental site When necessary, irrigation was performed by a centre-pivot sprinkler system, with a mean water depth of 14 mm and 72 h The study was conducted from March to June 2015 at the irrigation time. During the plant development cycle, phytosani- Teaching and Research Farm of the Engineering School of Ilha tary control was performed with Roundup Original (glyphosate, À À Solteira, Sao~ Paulo State University (FEIS/UNESP) in Selvıria, 4Lha 1), Premio (chlorantraniliprole, 50 mL ha 1), Belt 0 0 À Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil (20° 22 S, 51° 22 W, 335 m a.s.l.). (flubendiamide, 60 mL ha 1) and Connect (imidacloprid + beta- À The experimental site is part of the Cerrado biome, and it has cyfluthrin, 0.8 L ha 1). been cultivated for more than 25 years and has been under a The use of a soybean variety susceptible to powdery mildew, no-tillage system for the last 10 years. The mean annual rainfall along with a site favourable to the natural appearance of the is 1232 mm, and the mean annual temperature is 24.5 °C. Dur- disease and in the ideal season and climatic conditions for its ing the experiment, the mean daily temperature ranged from development, was sufficient for the natural occurrence of pow- 27.2 to 15.3 °C, the mean daily rainfall was 3.0 mm, and the dery mildew, making inoculation unnecessary. mean relative humidity was 86% (Fig. 1). The soil of the site was classified as a typical dystrophic red latosol (DRL) that is very clayey and corresponds to the oxisol Physiological and biochemical analysis À order. The chemical characteristics of the soil were 29 mg dm 3 À phosphorus (resin), 21 g dm 3 organic matter, calcium chloride Evaluation of growth and yield À3 À3 The number of pods on the plants, excluding the empty pods, (CaCl2) pH 5.3, 3.5 mmolc dm potassium, 38 mmolc dm À3 À3 + was evaluated at the R8 (full maturity) stage.