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ARS Home » Plains Area » College Station, Texas » Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center » Insect Control and Cotton Disease Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #409620
Research Project: Molecular and Genetic Approaches to Manage Cotton and Sorghum Diseases

Location: Insect Control and Cotton Disease Research

Title: A genome-wide association study of Nigerien and Senegalese sorghum germplasms of Exserohilum turcicum, the causal agent of leaf blight

Author
item Prom, Louis
item BOTKIN, JACOB - University Of Minnesota
item Ahn, Ezekiel
item SARR, MAME PENDA - Centre National De Recherche Agronomique (NCAR)
item DIATTA, CYRIL - Centre National De Recherche Agronomique (NCAR)
item FALL, COUMBA - Texas A&M University
item MAGILL, CLINT - Texas A&M University

Submitted to: Plants
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/27/2023
Publication Date: 11/29/2023
Citation: Prom, L.K., Botkin, J.R., Ahn, E.J., Sarr, M., Diatta, C., Fall, C., Magill, C.W. 2023. A genome-wide association study of Nigerien and Senegalese sorghum germplasms of Exserohilum turcicum, the causal agent of leaf blight. Plants. 12. Article 4010. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12234010.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12234010

Interpretive Summary: Sorghum supplies the daily caloric needs for millions of people in Senegal, but sorghum productivity is severely limited by a disease known as leaf blight. Although the disease can be controlled with fungicides and by crop rotation, the use of leaf blight-resistant plants is considered the most effective management strategy for this disease. We evaluated over 100 sorghum lines from Niger and Senegal, and identified several lines that were resistant to leaf blight. We also identified several genes that may play a role in leaf blight resistance. This work is significant because these lines and genes may be an excellent source for use in breeding programs to develop sorhum lines and hybrids that are resistant to leaf blight.

Technical Abstract: In Senegal, sorghum ranks third after millet and maize among dryland cereal production and plays a critical role in the daily lives of millions of inhabitants. Yet, the crop’s productivity and profitability are hampered by biotic stresses, including Exserohilum turcicum, causing leaf blight. A total of 101 sorghum accessions collected from Niger and Senegal, SC748-5, and BTx623 were evaluated in three different environments (Kaymor, Kolda, and Ndiaganiao) in Senegal for their reactions against the leaf blight pathogen. Results showed that the lowest incidence rates were observed in N15, N48, and S17, while these accessions N15, N43, N38, N46, N30, N28, and N23 from Niger recorded the lowest severity levels. Accession N15 exhibited both low leaf blight incidence and severity, indicating that it may possess genes for resistance to E. turcicum. Also, the accessions evaluated in this study were sequenced. A GWAS identified six novel SNPs associated with an average leaf blight incidence rate. The candidate genes were found in chromosomes 2, 3, 5, 8 and 9. Except for SNP locus S05_48064154, all five SNPs associated with leaf blight incidence rate were associated with plant defense and stress responses.