Biochemical Characteristics of Apple Rot Caused by Macrophoma sp. (I) -Disease Development, Carbohydrate and Amino Acid Contents in Infected Fruits-

Immature apple fruits of cultivars Fuji and Miller were completely resistant to Macrophoma sp. until 10 July. When inoculated on 31 July, apples became susceptible to this fungus, irrespective of cultivar. This fungus grew better on Fuji than Miller. Lesion enlargement on apple at was remarkably pronounced relative to . In both cultivars, the amount of total soluble carbohydrates or reducing sugars in apple fruit flesh was gradually increased as apples became mature. The healthy apples of cultivar Fuji had a higher amount of carbohydrates than those of Miller. The infected apples contained more soluble carbohydrates in comparison to the healthy ones. In healthy apples, there were no consistent differences between Fuji and Miller in amount of total soluble amino acids. With increasing age of apples, the amount of soluble amino acids declined in the fruit flesh of both cultivars. Levels of carbohydrates and amino acids in apple fruits were discussed in association with the immature fruit resistance to Macrophoma sp.