Location: Sugarcane Field Station
Project Number: 6030-22000-012-000-D
Project Type: In-House Appropriated
Start Date: Mar 20, 2022
End Date: Mar 19, 2027
Objective:
1. Identify pathogenic variation in sugarcane pathogens that are endemic and emerging within the United States. 1. A: Identify variation in sugarcane pathogens that are endemic and detect emerging pathogens in Florida. 1. B: Characterization of endophytes of sugarcane during disease development. 2. Screen germplasms of sugarcane and related grasses for resistance to major diseases such as brown rust, orange rust, leaf scald, sugarcane mosaic, smut, and ratoon stunting diseases. 2. A: Screen sugarcane clones for brown rust, orange rust, leaf scald, sugarcane mosaic, smut, and ratoon stunting diseases. 2. B: Molecular approach to develop disease-resistant cultivars
Approach:
Natural infections of sugarcane clones in Stage IV, small and large seed increases at ten commercial production locations across the sugarcane production region in FL will be surveyed in the spring and fall for all the economically important diseases. Unusual disease symptoms or disease outbreaks on previously disease-resistant cultivars will be investigated as possible emerging pathogens or new pathogenic races\strains of an endemic pathogen. Studies by light, confocal laser scanning microscope, or/and electron microscopy will be conducted to determine if there is any cytological structural difference in the interaction between orange rust race and host. Microbial diversity of a sugarcane variety susceptible to leaf scald and mosaic caused by Xanthomonas albilineans and Sugarcane mosaic virus, respectively. Sugarcane clones in the Stage 3 increase and Stage 4 of the Canal Point Sugarcane Cultivar Development Program will be screened for their reactions to leaf scald, mosaic, ratoon stunt, and smut diseases in artificial inoculation tests. Incidence of Sugarcane yellow leaf virus and ratoon stunt will be determined in the sugarcane clones of small and large seed increases to provide stakeholder status of these diseases in seed canes. Genome-wide markers for mapping genes controlling particular disease resistance in sugarcane will allow finding candidate resistance genes and gene variations. A database to select the reliable and low dosage SNPs for R-gene; SNP array development to realize high throughput genotyping of mapping populations for rapid identification of markers linked to disease resistance in sugarcane; identify haplotype variation associated with diseases (Brown and orange rust, Leaf scald, Smut, and Ratoon Stunting Disease) resistance.
