Abstract
The current research was conducted to find out modification in mineral profiling of cotton after the attack of bacterial blight
disease caused by Xanthomonas citri pv malvacearum. Leaves of three susceptible and resistant (un-inoculated and inoculated)
cultivars were collected for the determination of alteration in ionic status. The remarkable variation (p ≤ 5) in the ionic contents
was observed across treatments, groups (un-inoculated and inoculated), types (susceptible and resistant) and varieties of cotton
plants due to the infection by X. citri pv malvacearum. Nested random's effect analysis of variance revealed significant
difference in ionic status (Ca, N, K, P, Mg, Zn, Cu and Fe) in leaves of cotton. Resistant type of plants expressed 2.40% and
0.19% while susceptible type showed 2.17% and 0.16% difference in concentrations of P and N respectively. Moreover,
resistant type expressed 408.3, 310.2, 21.1, 2.9, 1.83 and 1.61 ppm while susceptible type showed 378.8, 270.2, 14.6, 2.4, 1.75
and 1.35 ppm difference in concentrations of Ca, K, Zn, Mg, Cu and Fe respectively. It was accomplished that resistant cultivars
accumulated these ions at higher concentrations than susceptible varieties. These increased ionic contents in resistant plants
strengthen the biochemical and physiological processes of the host plants which help to avoid the spread of pathogen.
