ARS | Publication request: Sugarcane Rusts in Florida

Submitted to: International Society of Sugar Cane Technologists Proceedings
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: December 15, 2009
Publication Date: March 7, 2010
Citation: Comstock, J.C., Glynn, N.C., Davidson, W. 2010. Sugarcane Rusts in Florida. Proc. Int. Soc. of Sugar Cane Technol. 27:1-9

Interpretive Summary: Sugarcane orange rust was detected in Florida in 2007 and its impact on the CP-cultivar development program is discussed. Orange rust has caused the loss of commercial cultivars, germplasm in the CP-cultivar development program and the use of susceptible cultivars in the crossing program since it was detected. The paper presents the plan to develop rust resistance cultivars to address this recently introduced pathogen.

Technical Abstract: Sugarcane orange rust symptoms were first observed in Florida in June 2007 on cultivar CP 80-1743. The causal agent, Puccinia kuehnii, was subsequently verified morphologically and molecularly constituting the first confirmed report of sugarcane orange rust in the Western Hemisphere. Orange rust was distributed throughout the entire Florida sugarcane industry, primarily on cultivars CP 80-1743 and CP 72-2086. The objective of this research was to evaluate the reaction of the commercial cultivars to both sugarcane brown and orange rusts and to assess their effect on the CP-cultivar development program in Florida. The rust reactions of several widely grown commercial cultivars, newly released cultivars and clones in the selection program, parental clones and CP historical clones were determined in order to develop a suitable resistance strategy to address the new incursion of orange rust. Changes in the program to increase the level of rust-resistant progeny are detailed.