Zinc Induced Enzymatic Defense Mechanisms in Rhizoctonia Root Rot Infected Clusterbean Seedlings

Table 5

Effect of different levels of zinc on the specific activity of polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POX) (×10²) in roots of guar seedlings uninoculated (UI) and inoculated (I) with Rhizoctonia species at 15 days after sowing.

Treatments	Rate of application (mg kg^−1 soil)	PPO (units^1)		POX (units^1)
		UI	I	UI	I
Zinc (control)	0	2.81	5.38	10.17	25.52
Zinc	10	4.16	4.78	16.50	27.97
Zinc	20	4.26	6.87	29.54	34.73
Carbendazim*	0.2%	8.75	10.07	22.46	36.40
SE (m)		0.06	0.14	0.48	1.24
C.D. 5%		0.16	0.41	1.36	3.46

∗Seeds were treated with carbendazim at the rate of 2 g kg⁻¹ and sown in unamended soil; each value of PPO is the mean of three replications and each value of POX is the mean of six replications.
¹1 unit = change in 0.01 O.D. min⁻¹ mg⁻¹ protein.