Red rot of sugarcane ( Colletotrichum falcatum Went)

Abstract

Red rot of sugarcane was recorded more than 100 years before in Java, India, Argentina, USA and other countries, and it is one of the most devastating diseases of sugarcane. Since the cultivated sugarcane ( Saccharum officinarum ) has failed across the countries, systematic inter-specific hybridization between S. officinarum and the wild species S. spontaneum referred as ‘nobilization’ was done to develop resistant varieties and the disease was managed in most of the countries. However, in the countries especially in Asia, varietal breakdown to red rot caused severe epiphytotics, by which the resistant varieties failed in the field at regular intervals. New pathogenic strains of Colletotrichum falcatum with higher virulence were found responsible for varietal breakdown in sugarcane. Extensive cultivation of a single variety over large areas led to extensive crop damages due to ‘vertifolia’ effect in different decades in India. The current epiphytotic on the ruling variety Co 0238 has caused loss of more than one billion US dollars in the current season in the country. Detailed studies were done on pathogenic variation, epidemiology, screening methods, disease resistance mechanism, identifying effectors, pathogenicity determinants, antifungal genes and transgenics. Recently, complete genome and transcriptomes of C. falcatum were sequenced and pathogenicity hot spots and candidate secreted effector proteins were identified and this will further help to identify the candidate genes for further genetic manipulation. In spite of poor understanding on inheritance of resistance to C. falcatum in sugarcane, new varieties with red rot resistance were developed and deployed after each of the epiphytotic to save the crop. Further, other management practices including bioagents, chemicals and inducers were attempted and improved efficacy by mechanized sett treatment showed promising results to manage the disease under field conditions.

Biomass and energy potential of Erianthus arundinaceus and Saccharum spontaneum-derived novel sugarcane hybrids in rainfed environments

“…To assess their resistance to red rot, a comprehensive screening process was conducted on all type-I and type-II energy canes. This study aimed to evaluate their resistance against the predominant and highly virulent pathotypes of red rot, Colletotrichum falcatum , specifically the CF 08 and CF 09 races [ 28 ]. The screening was performed under field conditions.…”

Factors affecting the production of sugarcane yield and sucrose accumulation: suggested potential biological solutions

“…Red rot, also known as “sugarcane cancer,” is a severe disease that significantly affects sugarcane stubble and yield in many countries and causes economic losses of about 1/3 of cane culms. In India, the yield loss associated with this disease reached 100% ( Viswanathan, 2021 ). The disease affected 100% of the land in Pakistan’s sugarcane-producing region, resulting in 83% cane yield loss and a 31%–75% sugar recovery rate ( Malik, 2018 ).…”

Sugarcane multitrophic interactions: Integrating belowground and aboveground organisms

“…Symptoms include reddish discoloration of stem and leaf tissue and appearance of white spots in the center, as well as drying of leaf and stem, death of new sprouts and formation of pith cavities filled with grey mycelia in later stages of disease development (Tokeshi, 1997;Franco et al, 2017). Red rot has been shown to co-occur with other sugarcane pathogens such as wilt pathogen F. sacchari, pineapple disease pathogen Ceratocystis paradoxa and stem rot pathogen F. verticillioides, with overlapping symptoms including drying, pith cavities formation and reddish to purple discoloration, although red rot can be easily distinguished by the reddening of internal tissue with white spots (Viswanathan, 2021). Colonization by these fungi disrupts water and nutrient transport in plants and causes tissue damage, as they can act as necrotrophic organisms, leading to reduced biomass and consequently reduced sugar and alcohol production (Narayanasamy, 2013;Sharma et al, 2017;Peñaflor and Bento, 2019).…”

“…sacchari , pineapple disease pathogen Ceratocystis paradoxa and stem rot pathogen F . verticillioides , with overlapping symptoms including drying, pith cavities formation and reddish to purple discoloration, although red rot can be easily distinguished by the reddening of internal tissue with white spots ( Viswanathan, 2021 ). Colonization by these fungi disrupts water and nutrient transport in plants and causes tissue damage, as they can act as necrotrophic organisms, leading to reduced biomass and consequently reduced sugar and alcohol production ( Narayanasamy, 2013 ; Sharma et al, 2017 ; Peñaflor and Bento, 2019 ).…”