EFFECT OF NEEM AND WILLOW AQUEOUS EXTRACTS ON FUSARIUM WILT DISEASE IN TOMATO SEEDLINGS: 1-INDUCTION OF ANTIOXIDANT DEFENSIVE ENZYMES

Fusarium wilt disease is one of the major plant diseases that affect tomato production. The effects of neem (Azadirachta indica) and willow (Salix babylonica) aqueous extracts on fusarium wilt disease in tomato seedlings were investigated. Four weeks old tomato seedlings were treated with 10% of either neem and willow aqueous extracts and then infected with Fusarium oxysporum after 4 days of treatment. The results showed that the percentage of disease incidence was increased in non treated tomato seedlings in time dependent manner and reached the maximum level (65%) after 6 weeks of infection. Treatments of tomato plants with neem and willow aqueous extracts reduced the percentage of disease incidence to the level of 25.5% and 27.8% after 6 weeks of infection respectively. The results show that infection of tomato seedling with Fusarium oxysporum led to many morphological and biochemical changes including, reducing the growth of tomato shoot and root, increasing the level of lipid peroxidation and marked increase in the activities of antioxidant defensive enzyme i.e. POX, CAT, and SOD. Treatment with neem and willow aqueous extracts significantly exhibited a growth promotion of tomato shoot and root in infected or non infected seedling. Moreover, application of neem and willow aqueous extracts with fusarium, significantly reduce the level of lipid peroxidation and induce high activities of antioxidant defensive enzymes after 3 and 7 days of infection. Electrophoretic pattern of POX demonstrated that Fusarium oxysporum caused up regulation of several POX isoenzymes. It could be concluded that neem and willow aqueous extracts reduced the disease incidence of fusarium wilt in tomato seedlings by increasing the activities of antioxidant defensive enzymes and decreasing the level of lipid peroxidation

PREPARATION AND FLAVOUR EVALUATION OF HIGH QUALITY FREEZE DRIED SEASONING BLEND

Combinations of different spices were used at variable concentrations in the preparation of vari-ous curry blends. The sample showed the highest sensory attributes in comparison with control cur-ry sample was compounded with different spices, onion and garlic at variable concentrations in cor-responding seasoning blend. The oleoresin of the seasoning blend that possessed the highest quality scores was prepared and subjected to freeze drying process after dispersion on suitable carrier. The flavour contribution percentages of the character-istic notes; light sweet top, medium aromatic, full boiled spicy and pungent spicy were calculated for each curry and seasoning blends. The hydro dis-tilled (HD) oils of the selected curry and its con-stituents were subjected to GC-MS analysis. The results revealed the high contribution of the com-ponents possess spicy note in the raw curry sam-ple. The components possess pungent notes showed less representation. β-Caryophellene was the major compounds in the HD oil of raw season-ing blends followed by δ-carene and ar-turmenone. The qualitative and quantitative varia-tion in the volatile compounds separated from the HD oil of the freeze dried sample may be attribut-ed to the interaction between such components and the used carrier (10% maltodextrin in water)

Effect of neem and willow aqueous extracts on fusarium wilt disease in tomato seedlings: Induction of antioxidant defensive enzymes

Fusarium wilt disease is one of the major plant diseases that affect tomato production. The effects of neem (Azadirachta indica) and willow (Salix babylonica) aqueous extracts on fusarium wilt disease in tomato seedlings were investigated. Four weeks old tomato seedlings were treated with 10% of either neem and willow aqueous extracts and then infected with Fusarium oxysporum after 4 days of treatment. The results showed that the percentage of disease incidence was increased in non treated tomato seedlings in time dependent manner and reached the maximum level (65%) after 6 weeks of infection. Treatments of tomato plants with neem and willow aqueous extracts reduced the percentage of disease incidence to the level of 25.5% and 27.8% after 6 weeks of infection respectively. The results show that infection of tomato seedling with Fusarium oxysporum led to many morphological and biochemical changes including, reducing the growth of tomato shoot and root, increasing the level of lipid peroxidation and marked increase in the activities of antioxidant defensive enzyme i.e. POX, CAT, and SOD. Treatment with neem and willow aqueous extracts significantly exhibited a growth promotion of tomato shoot and root in infected or non infected seedling. Moreover, application of neem and willow aqueous extracts with fusarium, significantly reduce the level of lipid peroxidation and induce high activities of antioxidant defensive enzymes after 3 and 7 days of infection. Electrophoretic pattern of POX demonstrated that Fusarium oxysporum caused up regulation of several POX isoenzymes. It could be concluded that neem and willow aqueous extracts reduced the disease incidence of fusarium wilt in tomato seedlings by increasing the activities of antioxidant defensive enzymes and decreasing the level of lipid peroxidatio