Biochemical evaluation of resistance responses of potato to different isolates of Alternaria solani.

The resistance phenotypes of nine potato cultivars to five isolates of Alternaria solani, causal agent of early blight, were studied after inoculation and growth under greenhouse conditions. We identified potato cultivars with both susceptible and resistant phenotypes as well as A. solani isolates with varying degrees of aggressiveness. Two potato cultivars and two pathogen isolates were selected for biochemical analysis of phenol production and peroxidase activity after inoculation. Phenol compounds were evaluated 2, 4, 6, and 8 days after inoculation, while peroxidase activities were monitored daily for 10 days. Native polyacrylamide electrophoresis was used to identify one protein with peroxidase activity in extracts taken 6 days after inoculation. Significantly higher peroxidase activity as well as total phenol content in potato was correlated with resistance in the Iranian potato cultivar Diamond. Variability of responses within the same cultivar to different isolates of A. solani suggests genotypic diversity between isolates that results in phenotypic diversity for pathogen aggressiveness.