IndianJ Plant Physiol., Vol. 5, No.4, (N.S.) pp. 389-391 (Oct.-Dec., 2000) SHORT COMMUNICATION PEROXIDASE ACTIVITY AS AN INDICATOR OF THE IRON DEFICIENCY IN BANANA K. BALAKRISHNAN Department ofCrop Physiology, Horticultural College and Research Institute, Periyakulam - 625 604 Received on 30 Sept., 1998, Revised on 30 Nov., 2000 Effect oflime induced iron chlorosis on enzyme activities was studied in Banana cv. Rasthali. Iron content decreased progressively as the intensity of chlorosis increased. Iron content had positive correlation with catalase, peroxidase, acid phosphatase, polyphenol oxidase and nitrate reductase. Among the enzymes, the activityofperoxidasehad highest positivesignificant(r=997**) associationwith Fecontent. Hence, peroxidase activity could serve as a diagnostic tool to indentify the Fe deficiency/Fe status in Banana. Key words: Banana, chlorosis, iron, peroxidase Among the micrountrients, Fe deficiency is the most ofgreenness in sixmonths old crop. This leafwas used for widespread in ourcountry(Takkar, 1996). Iron deficiency all the physiological analysis viz chlorophyll (Yoshida et is very common in calcareous soils and hence termed as al., 1976) chlorophyllase (Almela et al., 1990), catalase, lime induced iron chlorosis. In a normal green plant 60% peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase (Kar and Mishra, ofall leafiron is present in the chlorophyIl and hence any 1976), acid phosphatase (Parida and Mishra, 1980) and reduction in Fe contentcauses chlorosis (Chen and Barak, nitrate reductase (Klepperetal., 1973). The Fe content of 1982). Iron deficiency in plant not only causes chlorosis the plant sample was estimated using atomic absorption because of its involvement in chlorophyll synthesis, but spectrophotometry. Data were subjected to simple also reduces the activity ofcertain enzymes viz., catalase correlation co-efficient. and peroxidase which contain iron porphyrinas prosthetic groups. Keeping in viewofthe above concept, the present Lime induced iron chlorosis significantly altered the study was undertaken in banana cv. Rasthali (AAB) to activities ofvarious enzymes, chlorophyll and Fe content find out the effect of lime induced chlorosis on .the ofthe leaves (Table I). The chlorophyll and Fe content of activities ofenzyme in order to establish a relationship the leafdecreased as the percentage ofchlorosis increased. between enzyme activities, Fe content with chlorosis. The activities ofenzymes viz., catalase, peroxidase, acid phosphatase, polyphenol oxidase and nitrate reductase The experimentwas carried out under field conditions also decreased as the percentage ofchlorosis increased. in black soils ofUsilampatti Taluk ofMadurai District in Tamil Nadu. The soil has the following characteristics; The correlation co-efficients among the characters - indicated that the total chlorophyll content had positive pH -8.1; CaC03 9.2 (%), organic carbon - 0.8 (%), E.C. - 3.8 dS m-I and available Fe (DTPA) -5.2 ppm. The association with Fe content, catalase, peroxidase, acid banana sucker (cv. Rasthali) with a range of 1.5 kg to 2.0 phosphatase and nitrate reductase (Table II). Peroxidase kg were planted at a spacement of 1.8 m x 1.8 m and the and catalase had maximum correlation (r = +0.988**) normal package of practices were followed. During the followed by Fe content (r = + 0.981 **) with chlorophull plant growth, wide range ofchlorotic symptoms (10 to 90 content. Mehrota et al. (1990) also reported a similar %)were observed in the field. The percentage ofchlorosis positive correlation between Fe content and chlorophyll, was assessed in third leaffrom the top based on the area catalase and peroxidase activity in maize. Indian J. Plant Physiol., Vol. 5, No.4, (N.S.) pp. 389-39t(Oct.-Dec., 2000) 389 K. BALAKRISHNAN Table I. Effect ofchlorosis on the enzymatic activity of Banana cv. Rasthali Chlorosis Total Fe content Chlorophyll- Catalase Peroxidase Acid Polyphenol Nitrate (Percent) chlorophyll (ppm) -ase (mg g'. (mg HP2 (tiA~'5 mg-t phosphatase oxidase (mg. reductase (mg g,t fr.wt.) protein) oxi. min,t protein (Ilg purpurogallin (Ilmol g'. fr.wt.) hydrolysed g,l fr.wt.) N02g'· g'. fr.wt.) fr.wt.) 10 1.842 97.6 0.92 33.74 9.67 3.41 18.5 3.82 20 1.346 84.5 1.27 26.41 8.13 3.16 17.5 3.51 30 1.118 79.7 1.58 22.98 7.45 2.84 15.4 2.94 40 1.072 69.8 1.82 20.45 6.28 2.04 13.2 2.54 50 0.942 60.3 2.96 18.34 5.79 1.94 9.7 1.98 60 0.727 49.2 3.84 17.57 4.27 1.62 8.1 1.64 70 0.548 37.8 5.01 14.51 3.47 1.35 7.6 1.25 80 0.284 29.7 5.94 12.74 2.47 1.21 4.7 0.87 90 0.117 24.5 7.24 9.53 1.59 0.67 3.1 0.54 SEd 0.0029 1.591 0.762 1.054 0.247 0.092 1.102 0.009 CD 0.0062 3.373 1.651 2.234 0.523 0.195 2.336 0.019 (p=0.05) Table II. Correlation coefficient ofenzyme activities with chlorosis Total Fe content Chlorophyllase Catalase Peroxidase Acid Poly Nitrate Chlorosis chlorophyll phosphatase phenol reductase oxidase Total +0.981** -0.948** - +0.988** 0.988** +0.960** +0.964** +0.976** -0.983 Chlorophyll Fe Content -0.972** +0.968** +0.997 +0.979** +0.988** +0.954** -0.987** Chlorophyllase -0.911** -0.968** -0.040** -0.964** -0.963** +0.975* Catalase +0.975** +0.969** +0.957** +0.972** -0.972** Peroxidase +0.984** +0.986** +0.962** -0.997** Acid +0.983** +0.948** -0.926** phosphatase Polyphenol +0.966** -0.983** oxidase Nitrate -0.968** reducatase Chlorosis ** Significant or P = 0,01 390 Indian 1. Plant Physiol., Vol. 5, No.4, (N.S.) pp. 389-391 (Oct.-Dec., 2000) PEROXIDASE ACTIVITY IN BANANA The activity of chlorophyllase (r = - 0.948**) and REFERENCES chlorosis (r = - 0.983)**) showed significant negative Almela, L., Fernandez, J. A. and Roca, I.M.L. (1990). Purification and association with chlorophyll content. However, Fe content characterization of chlorophyllase activity of citrus leaves had the higher positiveassociation with peroxidase activity under iron stress. Physiol. Plant., 79 : 66. (r = +0.997**) Hence, Fe establishes as an intimate Bar-Akvia. A. and Lavon, R. (1968). Peroxidase activity as an association with peroxidase activity. This is in close indicator ofFe requirement ofciturs plants. Isr. J. Agn Res., confirmity with the findings of Bar-Akvia and Lavon 18: 148-153. (1968). Chen, Y. and Barak, P. (1982). Iron nutrition ofplants in calcareous soils. Adv. Agron., 35: 217-239. The chlorophyllase activity had negative correlation with all the enzymes and positively correlated with Kar, M. and Mishra, D. (1976). Catalase, peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase activities during rice leaf senesence. Plant Physiol., chlorosis. The enzyme activities otherthan chlorophyllase 41 : 1152-1158. had positive association among themselves. Hence, from Kipper, L., Flesher, D. and Haeman, R.H. (1973). Generation of the present study it may be inferred that the activities of reduced nicotinamide adeninedinucleotidefornitrate reduction peroxidase could be used as a diagonsotic tool to ascertain in green leaves. Plant Physiol., 48 : 580-590. the Fe deficiency/Fe status in banana. Mehrotra, S.c., Gupta, P., Chaturvedi, K. and Bisht, S.S. (1990). Active Fe in relation to some Fe-enzymes in maize. Inadiall J. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Exp. Bioi., 28 : 349-351. This work has been carried out under AHRDP Post Parida, R.K. and Mishra, D. (1980). Acid phosphatase and adenosine doctoral Fellowship Programme. The author is grateful to triphosphatase activities during rice leaf development and senescence. Photosynthetica, 14 : 431-436. D~. S. Kannaiyan, Vice-Chancellor, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbator and Dr. R.S. Takkar, P.N. (1996). Micronutrientresearch and sustainable agricultural productivity in India. J. Indian. Soc. Soil. 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