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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Tifton, Georgia » Crop Genetics and Breeding Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #386511
Research Project: Genetics and Integrated Management of Plant Parasitic Nematodes in Cotton and Peanut

Location: Crop Genetics and Breeding Research

Title: Transfer of Meloidogyne incognita resistance using marker-assisted selection in sorghum

Author
item Davis, Richard
item Harris-Shultz, Karen
item Knoll, Joseph - Joe
item Wang, Hongliang

Submitted to: Journal of Nematology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/4/2021
Publication Date: 10/21/2021
Citation: Davis, R.F., Harris-Shultz, K.R., Knoll, J.E., Wang, H. 2021. Transfer of Meloidogyne incognita resistance using marker-assisted selection in sorghum. Journal of Nematology. 53:e-2021-087. https://doi.org/10.21307/jofnem-2021-087.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21307/jofnem-2021-087

Interpretive Summary: A series of greenhouse evaluations were conducted to determine whether a gene in sorghum for resistance to the southern root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita, can effectively be moved into diverse sorghum types using marker assisted selection. The resistance gene from ‘Honey Drip’ sorghum was crossed into five different sorghum backgrounds that included forage, sweet, and grain sorghum for multiple generations, and the presence of the resistance gene was verified in each generation by DNA markers. Repeated greenhouse experiments documented that prior to incorporating the resistance gene the sorghum lines were all highly susceptible to the nematode, but after incorporating the resistance gene the lines were all highly resistant. The newly created lines were as resistant as their resistant parent, ‘Honey Drip’. These results suggest that this resistance gene could be moved into new lines using marker assisted selection and confer a high level of resistance. Thus, this gene and its associated markers will be useful for sorghum breeding programs that want to incorporate M. incognita resistance into their sorghum lines.

Technical Abstract: A series of greenhouse evaluations were conducted to determine whether a QTL that imparts a high level of resistance to Meloidogyne incognita in sorghum can effectively be moved into diverse sorghum genotypes using marker assisted selection. The resistance QTL, QTL-Sb.RKN.3.1, from ‘Honey Drip’ sorghum was crossed into five different sorghum backgrounds that included forage, sweet, and grain sorghum until the BC1F6 generation, and the presence of the resistance QTL was verified in each generation by DNA markers. Repeated greenhouse experiments documented that the recurrent parent genotypes were all susceptible to M. incognita and statistically similar to each other, and the BC1F6 genotypes were all highly resistant and similar to each other and similar to the resistant standard, ‘Honey Drip’. These results suggest that this resistance QTL could be introgressed using marker assisted selection into many sorghum genotypes and confer a high level of resistance. Thus, this QTL and its associated markers will be useful for sorghum breeding programs that want to incorporate M. incognita resistance into their sorghum lines.