Microscopía electrónica de barrido y análisis enzimático en Agave americana durante la infección con Fusarium oxysporum

Chitinase and B -1,3-glucanase play an important role in the defense reaction against fungal pathogens. In Agave americana there is limited information on the behavior of these proteins in response to the Fusarium oxysporum attack. In this study, a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis was performed using roots of A. americana infected with F. oxysporum , and the activity of chitinase and B -1,3-glucanase in roots of A. americana was evaluated to 0, 7, 15 and 30 days after inoculation with F. oxysporum . SEM revealed that 15 days after inoculation (DAI) is enough for the fungus to infect the roots of A. americana. It was observed that the activity of chitinase in infected plants increased significantly at 15 DAI with respect to non-infected plants, while the activity of B -1,3 glucanase did not show a significant statistical difference with control plants. These results suggest that, in response to F. oxysporum infection, the activation of the chitinase-type PRs proteins is induced in A. americana.