Abstract
Fifteen different amino acids were found in the mango leafy shoots and twelve in the infiorescence in both healthy and malformed specimens at different stages of growth. The number of amino acids increased with increase in the age of inflorescence both in healthy and diseased samples. Out of the fifteen amino acids, threonine was absent in healthy shoots whereas the diseased material lacked in cystine, valine, isoleucine and histicline. Like-wise, serine and tyrosine were also absent in the diseased, while present in the healthy inflorescence. The quantitative estimation showed higher amount of total free amino acids in healthy than in the diseased material. The healthy inflorescence contained higher amounts of total free amino acids as compared with malformed ones. The level of free amino acids showed a continuous rise from early to full grown stage of inflorescence in both healthy and die-eased material. Higher levels of total proteins in the healthy shoots and panicles al/Tared with diseased ones were also obser-ved:
INTRODUCTION
Malformation of mango inflorescence was first reported in Indo-Pakistan sub-continent by Burns (1910). The surveys carried out by Khan and Khan (1960) and Ali and Malik (1980) showed that this disorder was present in almost all orchards of the Punjab Province. Tripathi (1934) found, that the malforma-tion of inflorescence and vegetative shoots of mango (bunchy top) were highly correlated with each other.
Pathological observations made by Mohy-ud-Din et ai. (1972) indicated that Fusariurn ozysporuni, (Scheecht) was responsible for causing the bunchy top *Department of Horticulture, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
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