Photosynthetic properties and biochemical metabolism of Cucurbita moschata genotypes following infection with powdery mildew

Powdery mildew (PM) is one of the most important fungal diseases in Cucurbita moschata (pumpkin) cultivation. This experiment was conducted to shed light on the physiological mechanisms of PM resistance in pumpkin cultivars. PM pathogen was inoculated on pumpkin seedlings, PM-susceptible genotype (JJJD) and PM-resistant genotype (inbred line 112–2) to study the PM-fungal growth, plant photosynthetic and biochemical parameters with different intervals of time. The disease index and pathogen growth observed for the PM-infected 112–2 seedlings were milder than those observed for the JJJD seedlings. The net photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (gs) and transpiration rate (Tr) were reduced for both the PM-infected genotypes, while the internal CO2 concentration (Ci) increased in comparison with the non-infected controls. PM pathogen inoculation impaired the photosynthetic performance in seedlings of both genotypes and this was largely associated with stomatal closure. In comparison with the non-infected controls, the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and β-1,3-glucanase activities were reduced for both the PM-infected genotypes, while the peroxidase (POD) and phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) activities were increased. The catalase (CAT) activity was reduced in the 112–2 genotype and increased in the JJJD genotype after PM pathogen inoculation. Together, our data show that PM resistance in pumpkin seedlings is associated with the maintenance of photosynthetic performance and the regulation of defense-related enzyme activities .