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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Raleigh, North Carolina » Plant Science Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #64698
Title: BARLEY YELLOW DWARF VIRUS AND ITS EFFEECT ON FRUCTAN METABOLISM IN OAT

Author
item Livingston, David
item GILDOW, F - DEP. PLT PATH PENN STATE

Submitted to: Southern Small Grain Workers Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/1/1994
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus (BYDV) has a significant negative effect on small-grain vegetative and grain yield as well as on the ability of plants to withstand environmental stress. Fructan is a short term carbohydrate reserve that is important during grain filling and during periods of environmental stress. In this study the effect of BYDV on individual fructan isomers in stems was measured using three oat cultivars grown under controlled conditions. Fifteen different carbohydrates, including 13 fructan isomers, were quantified using HPLC. Simple sugars such as glucose, fructose and sucrose, and fructan degree of polymerization (DP) 3 were higher (P<0.05) in infected plants while fructan DP>5 was lower. An assay of 4 enzymes in a crude extraction suggested that the activity of one fructan synthesis enzyme and an invertase were lower (P<0.05) in infected plants while another synthesis enzyme and fructan hydrolase were not different (P<0.05) from uninfected controls. The altered enzyme activity supported carbohydrate changes in infected plants.