NaClO effect on polyphenol oxidase activity in leaf and petiole explants of two of Jatropha curcas L. genotypes

摘要

The implementation of plant tissue culture of Jatropha curcas encounters many problems such as the browning caused by phenolic oxidation. Therefore, a rapid methodology for comparison of treatments that can prevent this oxidation of the plant tissue is required. The determination of the enzyme polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity could be used for this purpose due to the association between browning and the activity of the enzyme in J. curcas. In the present investigation the effect of sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) as a disinfecting agent on PPO enzyme activity in leaf and petiole explants of INI-3 and INI-6 genotypes of the species was evaluated. The results showed that the NaClO caused an increase in the PPO activity of leaves and petioles in both genotypes, thus indicating that the disinfectant is an indirect agent that can promote tissue browning in the plant. In addition, significant differences of PPO activity were found in both explant types and genotypes.