ASSESSMENT OF BIOCHEMICAL CONTENTS IN OKRA PLANTS INFECTED WITH OKRA YELLOW VEIN MOSAIC VIRUS

Abstract

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) belongs to family Malvaceae and it is a rich source of carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins. Okra yellow vein mosaic disease (OYVMD) is a devastating biotic stress that is caused by okra yellow vein mosaic virus (OYVMV). This virus is vectored by whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) in a persistent and circulative manner. The current study aims to evaluate the effect of OYVMV on biochemistry of okra plants. An extensive survey about the epidemiology of OYVMD in geographical location of Tehsil Sahiwal, District Sargodha (Punjab Province-Pakistan) on okra fields was conducted. Symptomatic samples subjected to OYVMV confirmation were collected. The healthy and infected samples were processed for determination of biochemical parameters such as total phenolic contents (TPC), total soluble sugars (TSS), and enzymatic antioxidants i.e. superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) to assess the effect of virus infection on okra plants. TPC were measured by using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent (FCR); TSS determined through anthrone sulfuric acid assay and enzymatic antioxidants by using nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) solution. The quantity of TPC was decreased while TSS and enzymatic antioxidants increased in diseased plants. TPC in healthy bark and leaves was 0.12 and 0.14 mg/g as compared to 0.2 mg/g of diseased samples. TSS in diseased bark and leaves was 223 and 214 mg/g while enzymatic antioxidants SOD, POD and CAT were also higher. The present study would be helpful in developing environment friendly management approaches by using biochemical profiling of infected plants.