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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Mayaguez, Puerto Rico » Tropical Crops and Germplasm Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #159630
Title: EVALUATION OF MALIAN SORGHUM GERMPLASM FOR RESISTANCE AGAINST ANTHRACNOSE

Author
item Erpelding, John
item Prom, Louis

Submitted to: Plant Pathology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/19/2004
Publication Date: 9/20/2004
Citation: Erpelding, J.E., Prom, L.K. 2004. Evaluation of Malian sorghum germplasm for resistance against anthracnose. Plant Pathology Journal 3(2):65-71.

Interpretive Summary: Plant diseases are important environmental stresses limiting crop production. Host plant resistance provides an economical and environmentally safe method of controlling diseases to increase seed yield, reduce production costs, and increase farm profitability. Through natural selection, disease pathogens undergo genetic changes and overcome plant resistance; therefore, new sources of host plant resistance are needed. Sorghum seed samples have been collected from around the world and stored as germplasm collections to provide a source of new genes for disease resistance. The sorghum germplasm collection from Mali, West Africa contains 2,343 individual seed samples of which 270 were evaluated for resistance to the fungal disease anthracnose. Artificial inoculations of the disease were conducted in the dry and wet growing seasons in Puerto Rico during 2003 resulting in the identification of 215 sorghum germplasm samples with resistance to anthracnose in both seasons. A genetic evaluation of anthracnose disease resistance indicated that the germplasm samples have different genes for resistance. These results indicate that sorghum germplasm samples from Mali could be an important source for anthracnose resistance and that genetic variation occurs for resistance which is highly desirable for sorghum improvement.

Technical Abstract: Host plant resistance provides an economical approach to stabilize crop production and enhance profitability. Highly variable pathogen, such as anthracnose, will require additional sources of host resistance for crop improvement. Sorghum germplasm from Mali, West Africa was artificially inoculated with anthracnose (Colletotrichum sublineolum) to identify sources of resistance to the disease. During the dry and wet growing seasons in 2003, 270 sorghum accessions from the Mali working collection were evaluated for anthracnose resistance in Puerto Rico. A resistant response was observed for 245 accessions during the dry season and for 215 accessions in the wet season. The results would indicate that climatic conditions were more favorable for disease development during the wet season. The resistance response for 196 accessions was also effective against Texas isolates of the pathogen. The mode of inheritance for 41 accessions indicated the presence of dominant and recessive gene action. Genetic variation for resistance and resistance to multiple pathotypes of the disease would suggest that Mali sorghum germplasm would be useful for sorghum improvement.