Quantification of Fungal Infection in Plant Tissues by Determining the Glucosamine Phenylisothiocyanate Derivative Using HPLC Techniques

After hydrolysis of chitin from fungal cell walls, the glucosamine released was derivatized with phenylisothiocyanate and was used to quantify fungal infection of different plant tissues. The glucosaminephenylisothiocyanate derivative (GIcN-PiTC) was separated on a reversed-phase HPLC column and quantified afterwards using GlcN-PiTC standards. The advantage of this method is its sensitivity and high reproducibility in a wide range of concentrations.