RESUMO
Seedlings of Norway spruce were exposed to fungal infection and drought in order to investigate differences in their stress responses on the enzymatic level. Six-week-old seedlings were infected with the root rot fungus Rhizoctonia, or subjected to drought, respectively. Changes at the enzymatic level were more rapid and significantly higher in infected plants in comparison with drought-stressed spruce plants. Rhizoctonia infection resulted in early local and systemic increase in peroxidase and chitinase activity. The most prominent isoforms responding were highly basic peroxidases and chitinases (pI 9-9.5) and several acidic chitinases (pI3-4). An increased intensity of similar peroxidase isoforms was found in drought-affected plants. Two peroxidase isoforms (with pI < 9) accumulated exclusively in response to drought. These results suggest that at an early stage of infection and drought stress, the two stresses can be distinguished by the temporal appearance and isoform profile of peroxidases and chitinases. Changes in enzyme activity appeared before changes in physiological parameters, thus these isoform profiles could be used as early markers of stress conditions in spruce.
RESUMO
In 1989, identical crosses (2-3 females within males) were performed with Picea abies (L.) Karst. in a greenhouse seed orchard at Biri nursery and in an outdoor seed orchard at Huse, 32 km north of Biri. Pollination began 17 days earlier in the greenhouse than outdoors at Huse. The potted grafts in the greenhouse were moved outdoors when the seed cones were no longer receptive. Twelve full-sib family pairs (Biri and Huse) from these crosses were grown in a phytotron and tested for height and autumn frost hardiness during their first growing season. No significant difference was found between the indoor (Biri) and outdoor (Huse) progenies for height growth. However, the progenies from the greenhouse seed orchard were significantly more susceptible to frost than their full-sibs from the outdoor seed orchard. There was no significant interaction between males and the flowering environment, but a significant female x flowering environment interaction was present as a result of greater differences in frost hardiness between progenies from females in the greenhouse seed orchard than in the outdoor seed orchard. Although seeds from the outdoor seed orchard generally had a greater biomass than seeds from the greenhouse seed orchard, the difference in seed weight did not explain the difference in frost hardiness. We hypothesize that temperature and photoperiod during pollination and fertilization affect the frost hardiness of the progenies.