Enhancement of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase activity in cucumber and chilli seedlings by aqueous extract of Cleistanthus collinus

Abstract

The aqueous extract of the aerial parts of commonly available plants in Nagpur (India) was screened for their ability to induce the activity of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) in cucumber and chilli. C. collinus induced PAL activity in both crop species effectively after 55 hours of elicitation. Later, the C. collinus extract was fractionated over a silica gel column. The fraction collected with 90% methanol also induced the activity of PAL in the seedlings. However, the fractions eluted with 45 and 0% aqueous methanol failed to induce PAL activity. These findings indicate the efficacy of the extract to trigger active defence responses in cucumber and chilli seedlings. Therefore, C. collinus can be useful in developing an organic formulation for crop protection.