Micronutrients and yield quality of pea (Pisum sativum L.) varieties susceptible to Fusarium oxysporum

Abstract

The appearance of Fusarium species and the micronutrient content of pea varieties were investigated in different plant development periods. Field experiments were carried out for three years on six dry pea varieties grown without irrigation on a soil infected with Fusarium species. Green and dry plants divided into shoots (including stems and leaves), pods and seeds were used to determine the presence of Fusarium species and the concentration of micro- and macroelements. In the green shoots and seeds of varieties registered as susceptible to Fusarium oxysporum, other species such as F. solani and F. culmorum were also detected. F. oxysporum and F. solani were found in the dry seeds not only in varieties susceptible to F. oxysporum but in resistant ones as well. In the case of susceptible varieties the phosphorus and nickel contents in the flowering plants decreased significantly compared to those in varieties registered as resistant to F. oxysporum. In later stages of plant development the K and Mo contents increased significantly in the green shoots and the accumulation of Mn and Mo in the green seeds intensified. The very low B concentration in the dry pods contributed to the internal infection of dry seeds by decreasing the stability of the cell wall. In the dry seeds of varieties susceptible to F. oxysporum a considerable decrease in the S content was found parallel with marked increases in the Mo and Mn contents. The sugar content of green seeds decreased significantly in peas susceptible to F. oxysporum, but neither the protein, nor the starch or sugar contents of the dry seeds decreased in comparison to the resistant ones.