Area of Science:

• Plant pathology
• Plant immunology
• Molecular biology

Background:

• Callose deposition is a key defense mechanism in plants against pathogen invasion.
• Understanding callose accumulation patterns in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) is crucial for developing disease-resistant cultivars.
• Eye spot disease, caused by the fungal pathogen *Oculimacula yallundae*, significantly impacts wheat yield.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and compare callose accumulation in winter wheat cultivars with differing resistance to the eye spot causal agent.
• To determine the correlation between constitutive and induced callose levels and cultivar resistance.

Main Methods:

• Fluorescence microscopy was employed to visualize callose deposition.
• Quantitative luminescent analysis was used to measure callose content.
• Comparative analysis was performed on two winter wheat cultivars differing in eye spot resistance.

Main Results:

• Unsusceptible winter wheat cultivars exhibited higher constitutive callose content at early vegetation stages.
• Pathogen inoculation led to increased callose accumulation in susceptible cultivars.
• Elevated induced callose in susceptible cultivars did not confer protection against the pathogen.

Conclusions:

• Constitutive callose levels in winter wheat seedlings correlate with resistance to eye spot.
• While susceptible cultivars show induced callose, it is insufficient for effective disease resistance.
• Callose dynamics play a significant role in winter wheat's response to fungal pathogens.