Soil-borne wheat mosaic virus - SBWMV causes substantial economic losses to the wheat crop and can also infect a wide range of grass crops. An experiment was conducted in the experimental area of Embrapa Trigo, using five genotypes of wheat (BRS Guabiju, BRS 194, BRS 179, BR 23, and PF 980524) with different resistance levels to SBWMV. Samples were collected 45 days after emergence, and levels of sugars, proline concentration, and nitrate reductase activity were biochemically analyzed to understand the metabolic alterations induced by SBWMV. Nitrate reductase activity was higher in asymptomatic plants, as compared to the level observed in plants with symptoms. Sugar and proline levels were higher in plants with disease symptoms than in asymptomatic plants. The results show that the metabolic changes were caused by the SBWMV in the five different genotypes used in the experiment.
Nitrate reductase; sugars; proline; SBWMV