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Fusarium ‐induced vascular gels from banana roots — a partial chemical characterization
Author(s) -
VanderMolen Gail E.,
Labavitch John M.,
DeVay James E.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
physiologia plantarum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.351
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1399-3054
pISSN - 0031-9317
DOI - 10.1111/j.1399-3054.1986.tb02424.x
Subject(s) - xylem , fusarium wilt , fusarium oxysporum , arabinose , xylose , botany , cultivar , inoculation , chemistry , musaceae , biology , horticulture , food science , fermentation
Xylem vessels often become occluded when plants are subjected to pathogen or abiotic stresses. The composition of these vessel‐obstructing gels has never been directly analyzed. Roots of wilt‐resistant (Valery) and susceptible (Gros Michel) cultivars of banana ( Musa acuminata L.) trees were inoculated with Fusarium oxysporum Schlect f. sp. cubense Snyd. and Hans, and vascular gels were collected 5 days later. Gas chromatographic and colorimetric analyses indicate that the gels are rich in neutral sugars (arabinose, glucose and xylose) and uronic acids that are also found in the cell walls of the host. The idea that these vessel occlusions are composed, at least in part, of carbohydrates digested from the cell walls of the host is discussed.