Effect of copper deficiency in wheat on the infection of roots by Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici

Abstract

Wheat was grown in a soil at five levels of copper (ranging from levels deficient, to those luxurious, for plant growth), in the presence or absence of introduced take-all inoculum (oat kernels colonized by Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritica). The incidence and severity of take-all were related to the copper supply and hence the copper status of the wheat. Plants grown without applied copper were more severely infected by take-all than were those grown with an adequate or luxurious supply of copper. The number of lesions per gram fresh weight of roots was reduced from 6.5 to 2.4 by increasing the copper supply from that severely deficient, to that adequate for plant growth. In seminal roots, increasing the copper supply from levels severely deficient to those adequate or luxurious for plant growth, decreased the length of proximal lesions (those closest to the seed). By contrast, in nodal roots, a similar increase in copper supply had no effect on the length of proximal lesions, but increased the length of uninfected root between the crown and proximal lesions. In both seminal and nodal roots, copper supply did not affect the intensity of lesions.