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ARS Home » Plains Area » College Station, Texas » Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center » Crop Germplasm Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #275023
Title: Response of sorghum accessions from four African countries against Colletotrichum sublineolum, causal agent of sorghum anthracnose

Author
item Prom, Louis
item Erpelding, John
item ISAKEIT, THOMAS - Texas A&M University
item PERUMAL, RAMASAMY - Kansas State University
item Cuevas, Hugo

Submitted to: American Journal of Plant Sciences
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/28/2011
Publication Date: 1/1/2012
Citation: Prom, L.K., Erpelding, J.E., Isakeit, T., Perumal, R., Cuevas, H.E. 2012. Response of sorghum accessions from four African countries against Colletotrichum sublineolum, causal agent of sorghum anthracnose. American Journal of Plant Sciences. 3(1):125-129.

Interpretive Summary: Anthracnose is one the most common diseases of sorghum, worldwide. In this work, 72 sorghum accessions from Ethiopia, Mali, Sudan, and Uganda were evaluated in College Station, Texas, and Isabela, Puerto Rico, for resistance against the fungus which causes sorghum anthranose. In both Texas and Puerto Rico, 22 out of the 72 lines tested were resistant to the anthracnose fungus. About 80% of the lines from Mali, 48% of the lines from Uganda, 24% of the lines from Sudan, and 7% of the lines from Ethiopia were resistant in Texas. In Puerto Rico, all the lines from Mali, 43% of the lines from Uganda, and 28% of the lines from Sudan were resistant. These results showed that the Mali, Sudan, and Uganda sorghum collections may be an important source of anthracnose resistance. These lines could be used in the breeding of anthracnose resistant lines in the US and abroad to reduce the impact of the disease.

Technical Abstract: Seventy-two sorghum accessions were randomly selected from the Ethiopia, Mali, Sudan, and Uganda germplasm collections maintained by the US National Plant Germplasm System to evaluate variation in anthracnose resistance. The accessions were planted in a randomized complete block design in College Station, Texas during the 2007 and 2008 growing seasons. Twenty-six accessions exhibited a resistant response across growing seasons with 8 accessions showing a susceptible response. Twenty-nine accessions showed variation in disease response within and between experiments. Seven accessions were rated as resistant in 2007 but showed a susceptible reaction in 2008. The frequency of resistant germplasm varied based on country of origin with 80% of the accessions from Mali, 48% of the accessions from Uganda, 24% of the accessions from Sudan, and 7% of the accessions from Ethiopia exhibiting a resistance response. When the same accessions were evaluated in Isabela, Puerto Rico, 100% of the accessions from Mali, 43% of the accessions from Uganda, and 28% of the accessions from Sudan exhibited a resistant response. All the accessions from Ethiopia were susceptible to anthracnose when evaluated in Isabela, Puerto Rico. In both locations, 22 accessions exhibited a resistant response. Four accessions rated as resistant in Texas were found to be susceptible in Puerto Rico; whereas, five accessions rated as resistant in Puerto Rico showed a susceptible response in Texas. These results indicated that the Mali, Sudan, and Uganda sorghum collections may be an important source of anthracnose resistance. However, the identification of anthracnose resistance germplasm from many diverse regions could result in the identification of new sources of genetic variation for resistance. Also, greater genetic variation for resistance could be present in regions with a high frequency of resistant germplasm.