ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Plant Metabolism and Chemodiversity
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1693782
This article is part of the Research TopicBiosynthesis, Regulation, and Ecological Roles of Plant Volatile Organic CompoundsView all articles
Antioxidant enzyme responses in different wheat species infested with corn leaf aphid, Rhopalosiphum maidis Fitch
Provisionally accepted
- 1Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, India
- 2Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi, India
- 3ICAR - Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Panipat Refinery Township, India
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Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a staple crop worldwide but remains vulnerable to corn leaf aphid (Rhopalosiphum maidis Fitch), a major pest causing both direct yield losses and indirect damage through disease transmission. To elucidate biochemical mechanisms underlying resistance, 65 wild and synthetic wheat genotypes were evaluated under aphid-infested and uninfested conditions. Aphid nymphal mortality varied significantly across genotypes, with amphidiploid and Aegilops kotschyi showing the highest resistance, while synthetic wheat lines exhibited moderate aphid mortality. Biochemical assays revealed consistent induction of antioxidant enzymes viz., catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), peroxidase (POX), and glutathione reductase (GR) across all genotypes upon infestation. Synthetic wheat displayed the highest enzymatic activities, indicating robust oxidative stress tolerance, whereas amphidiploid wheat maintained lower enzyme activity but exerted strong aphid mortality, suggesting reliance on non-enzymatic or constitutive defenses. Additionally, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO), key enzymes in the phenylpropanoid pathway, were strongly upregulated in synthetic wheat and Ae. kotschyi, highlighting their role in secondary metabolite-mediated defense. These findings demonstrate that wheat resistance to R. maidis is multifaceted, involving both antioxidant enzyme regulation and phenylpropanoid metabolism. Genotypic differences underscore the potential of wild relatives and synthetic wheats as valuable genetic resources for breeding durable, eco-friendly aphid-resistant wheat cultivars. Integrating these biochemical insights into breeding programs can accelerate the development of resistant cultivars, reducing pesticide use and strengthening food security under pest and climate challenges.
Keywords: Cereals, host plant resistance, biochemical markers, Aphid resistance breeding, Antioxidant Enzymes
Received: 27 Aug 2025; Accepted: 15 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Kumari, Jasrotia, Maanju, SAREEN and Kumar. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Poonam Jasrotia, poonamjasrotia@gmail.com
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