Antioxidant Responses of Brutian Pine (Pinus brutia Ten.) Clones to Damage Stress Caused by The pine processionary moth (Thaumetopoea wilkinsoni (Tams)) - Türkiye

This study aimed to investigate the variation of the antioxidants [i.e. polyphenol oxidase (PPO), phenylalanine ammonium lyase (PAL), cinnamic acid, caffeic acid, gallic acid, gentisic acid (2,5 dihydroxybenzoic acid), ferrulic acid, tannin, quarsetin, ellagic acid, catechin, myricetin, naringenin, luteolin, chrysin and rutin trihydrate] regarding to the periods in order to determine the resistance or susceptibility of different clones of the Brutian pine (Pinus brutia Ten.) species, where pine processionary moth (Thaumetopoea wilkinsoni (Tams)) damage is most intense. The study showed that the period factor had a statistically significant effect for PAL, tannin, gallic acid, catechin and rutin trihydrate contents. The numbers of larval bag, period and clone had a statistically significant effect for PPO along with that the number of larval bag, period, clone and the numbers of larval bag * clone interaction had a statistically significant effect for cinnamic acid. Similarly, the period, clone, the numbers of larval bag * clone interaction had a statistically significant effect for caffeic acid and chrysin while the numbers of larval bag and period had a statistically significant effect for ferulic acid, and the period and clone had a statistically significant effect for myricetin and naringenin (P<0.05). In the transition from period I when the samples were taken to period II, as the numbers of larval bag increased, PPO and cinnamic acid increased, whereas the amount of ferulic acid decreased as the numbers of larval bag increased. In addition, when evaluated periodically, the amounts of PAL, tannin, caffeic acid, ferulic acid and rutin trihydrate contents increased through February to August. The amounts of PPO, gallic acid, cinnamic acid, myricetin, chrysin and catechin decreased from period I to period II. The formation of secondary metabolites in different level even among clones of the same population against herbivore attack in parallel with the abiotic stresses caused by the high temperature increasing recent years, when the effects of climate change have been intensively observed, suggests that clones can use their secondary metabolite defense forces in different ways.