ARS | Publication request: ASSOCIATION OF PERICARP COLOR AND GRAIN HARDNESS WITH FUNGAL COLONIZATION AND SUSCEPTIBILITY TO GRAIN MOLD

Submitted to: American Phytopathological Society Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: May 5, 2004
Publication Date: June 1, 2004
Citation: Funnell, D., Pedersen, J.F. 2004. Association of pericarp color and grain hardness with fungal colonization and susceptibility to grain mold. American Phytopathological Society Abstracts. 94:S32.

Technical Abstract: Sorghum lines with a tan necrotic wound response that produce white grain yield desirable consumer products, but plants with these traits can be more susceptible to pathogens. We previously have reported the favorable vigor and yields of lines near isogenic for plant (purple or tan) and pericarp (red or white) color. All lines had seed of medium hardness, and variations within this range were not associated with plant or pericarp color or with pathogen susceptibility. Enumeration of fungi from seed collected from field grown plants revealed that colonization by Alternaria was approximately 20% higher in red seed. When enriching for Fusarium spp., it appeared that field-grown white seed may be colonized by Fusarium verticillioides to a greater extent than red seed. Controlled inoculation assays with a pathogenic F. verticillioides isolate indicated that lesion length was highly significantly greater in purple lines when compared with all tan lines, and purple lines with red seed had significantly greater lesions when compared with the other 3 color combinations. Among tan lines, there were no significant differences in lesion length between red and white pericarp lines.