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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Tifton, Georgia » Crop Genetics and Breeding Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #325420
Title: Sugarcane aphid resistance in sorghum and a host range

Author
item Harris-Shultz, Karen
item Ni, Xinzhi
item Knoll, Joseph - Joe
item Anderson, William - Bill
item VERMERRIS, WILFRED - University Of Florida

Submitted to: International Congress of Entomology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/20/2016
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: not required

Technical Abstract: The sugarcane aphid (SCA), Melanaphis sacchari, has been present in the United States primarily on sugarcane in Florida, Hawaii, and Louisiana until 2013 where it was found on grain sorghum near Beaumont, Texas. Since 2013, the SCA has been rapidly spreading and overwintering. Depending on the plant stage of when the infestation occurs and the duration, the sorghum response to the SCA can range from plant death to difficulty in harvesting the grain due to the stickiness of the honey dew clogging harvesting equipment. Thus, utilization of lines with resistance to the SCA would be beneficial. We have identified a line, Entry 22, which has post-anthesis SCA resistance. The major resistance gene appears to be recessive and selections were made from two F2 populations to identify plants with superior SCA resistance than Entry 22. Plants were inbred until the F4-F5 stage and planted in the late summer of 2015. Infestation occurred at heading and aphid damage ratings were taken at weekly intervals. Two selections were identified that had superior post-anthesis SCA resistance as compared to Entry 22. Updates on these selections as well as a host study using bioenergy grasses will be presented.