Specific features of the response of the antioxidant system of urban trees to mistletoe infection

Institute of Living Systems, Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Universitetskaya Str., 2, 236038 Kaliningrad, Russia

^* Corresponding author: LSkrypnik@kantiana.ru

Abstract

Urban green spaces are an important component of sustainable urban development. Infestation of urban trees by mistletoe white leads to a decrease in the growth energy of woody plants and their longevity. In the present study, the peculiarities of oxidative stress development and response of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase and catalase) of three tree species (Tilia cordata, Acer platanoides and Populus nigra) that are most susceptible to mistletoe infestation in Kaliningrad were studied. It was found that in all three species, when severely affected (more than 50 mistletoe bushes per tree), the bark content of malonic dialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide increased, indicating the intensification of oxidative processes in the cells of the affected trees. The catalase reaction was more pronounced compared to superoxide dismutase. The result confirms the fact that mistletoe infestation of trees leads to changes in redox metabolism in the cells of host trees and may indirectly lead to their weakening.