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ARS Home » Plains Area » College Station, Texas » Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center » Crop Germplasm Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #276066
Title: Sorghum pathology and biotechnology - A fungal disease perspective: Part II. Anthracnose, stalk rot, and downy mildew

Author
item TESSO, TESFAYE - Kansas State University
item PERUMAL, RAMASAMY - Kansas State University
item LITTLE, CHRISTOPHER - Kansas State University
item ADEYANJU, ADEDAYO - Kansas State University
item RADWAN, GHADA - Texas A&M University
item Prom, Louis
item MAGILL, CLINT - Texas A&M University

Submitted to: European Journal of Plant Sciences and Biotechnology
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/10/2011
Publication Date: 8/20/2012
Citation: Tesso, T., Perumal, R., Little, C.R., Adeyanju, A., Radwan, G.L., Prom, L.K., Magill, C. 2012. Sorghum pathology and biotechnology - A fungal disease perspective: Part II. Anthracnose, stalk rot, and downy mildew. European Journal of Plant Sciences and Biotechnology. 6:31-44.

Interpretive Summary: Anthracnose, stalk rots, and downy mildew are important sorghum diseases that cause significant losses in production fields. The review addresses the causal organisms of these diseases, their distribution, races, infection processes, and screening methods for identifying resistant sources in sorghum. This review also covers the genes involved in host resistance and molecular tags for resistance genes and prospect for future advances in controlling these diseases.

Technical Abstract: Foliar diseases and stalk rots are among the most damaging diseases of sorghum in terms of lost production potential, thus commanding considerable research time and expenditure. This review will focus on anthracnose, a fungal disease that causes both foliar symptoms and stalk rots along with the stalk rots caused by Fusarium spp. and Macrophomina phaseolina. Although the downy mildews are caused by oomycetes rather than true fungi, recent outbreaks have revealed resistance to previously effective chemical seed treatments and the evolution of new pathogenic races, once again pointing out the need for continuous vigilance. Sorghum diseases are described with respect to the causal organism or organisms, infection process, global distribution, pathogen variability and effects on grain production. In addition, screening methods for identifying resistant cultivars and the genetic basis for host resistance including molecular tags for resistance genes are described where possible along with prospects for future advances in more stable disease control.