No abstract

Head smut, caused by the fungal pathogen Sporisorium reilianum, has been reported with increasing frequency in the grain sorghum growing areas of Texas. To facilitate analysis of changes in pathogen virulence, four inoculation techniques were examined: soil and teliospore mixture, seed coating, media placement, and syringe injection. Of the four, syringe injection was determined to be the most effective. Inoculations of sorghum host differentials BTx643, BTx7078, BTx635, SC170-6-17 (TAM2571), SA281 (Early Hegari), and Tx414 showed 23 of 32 Texas isolates were race 4. Two isolates from College Station, TX, were classified as race 1, but no race 2 or 3 isolates were found. New, virulent races 5 and 6 were identified among isolates from south Texas. Using 16 amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) primer combinations, genetic diversity was assessed in DNA samples from 49 S. reilianum isolates, including 44 sorghum isolates from Texas, two from Uganda, and one from Mali; and two maize isolates from Mexico. Single-base extensions with EcoRI and MseI primers in the selective amplification increased the number of informative polymorphic bands. High genetic dissimilarity (50%) was observed between isolates originating from maize and those originating from sorghum. The resultant dendrogram, made using cluster analysis, grouped the Texas S. reilianum isolates into four small clusters with ≥82% similarity. Other than for two race 6 isolates from Weslaco, TX, no evidence for geographical or other restrictions on gene flow was evident.

Globally, the foliar phase of anthracnose is one of the most destructive diseases of sorghum. In most cases, anthracnose resistance screening relies on the use of a spore suspension. This method is usually conducted after sundown and when there is the possibility of dew formation the following morning. Using a spore suspension for sorghum anthracnose field evaluation in College Station, Texas over five years (1996, 1997, 1999-2001) yielded inconsistent linkage results and failed to identify any closely linked molecular markers. For large scale screening of sorghum germplasm for anthracnose (Colletotrichum sublineolum) resistance, plants are inoculated in the field or in the green house at either 30 d after planting or at the 8-10 leaf-stage. In field inoculation, the use of C. sublineolum-colonized sorghum grains was shown to be the most efficient and effective in identifying resistant sources. For effective, efficient, fast and accurate infection, approximately 10-20 seeds are placed in each plant leaf whorl and it takes about 16.7 kg of colonized grains to cover a 0.4 ha area. In the greenhouse, though colonized grains are equally effective, spray inoculation is preferred for easy and uniform coverage. Using this method of inoculum preparation, spore suspension was extracted and sprayed (106 conidia·ml-1), followed by 10 hr/d misting for 30 sec at 30-45 min interval continuously for a period of one month resulted in effective infection.

No abstract

The recent outbreak of sorghum downy mildew (SDM) in Texas, USA caused by pathotype P3 of Peronosclerospora sorghi, which is resistant to standard fungicide seed treatment, and the subsequent development of a new pathotype, P6, that overcame resistance in some hybrids, has emphasized the importance of continuing to develop new sources with genetic resistance. Eighty-two exotic Gambian and Malian germplasms and 10 sorghum lines commonly used as SDM pathotype differentials were field-evaluated in a randomized complete block design replicated three times at one Mexican location (Ocotlán, Jalisco) in 2004 and 2005, and two USA locations (Louise and New Taiton, TX, USA) in 2005 to identify new sources of SDM resistance. Accessions PI609151 and PI609442 from Mali had high levels of SDM resistance at all locations. Malian accession PI612815 also had a moderate to resistant reaction to SDM in two of the three locations.