Wheat is affected by some pathovars ofPseudomonas syringaeand by otherPseudomonasspecies. Of these,P. syringaepv.syringaeis the major one responsible for reduction. Recent studies have been made to characterize and identify the pathogen and to determine its aggressiveness and the pattern of colonization in seed and its effects on seed yield, yield components, and source-sink relationships during postanthesis. It was found that the reduction in the aerial biomass production is the best way to evaluate the aggressiveness of this bacterium, and the spray inoculation is good tool to make evaluations at seedling stage. The characterization of bacteria fingerprintings with molecular markers such as RAPD-PCR, ERIC, and REP-PCR is available. Genomic evolution has been elucidated with next-generation genome sequencing. Also, the colonization pattern shows that, early on, microcolonies are frequently detected in the aleurone layer, later in the endosperm and finally close to the crease and even in some cells of the embryo itself. In the wheat cultivars Seri M82 and Rebeca F2000 seed yield and its components are negatively affected. In general,P. syringaepv.syringaereduces the plant height, seed yield, and yield components, as well as the growth of most organs. When this bacterium attacks, the stems are the predominant sink organs and the leaf laminae and panicles are the predominant source organs.

SU MMARYSix pairs of isogenic lines of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) were sown in field plots in Montecillo, State of Me´xico (2240 m altitude), in 2005 and 2006. Crosses A (Y)rB (X) were done in each pair. In A-lines, the length of pistil, stigma, style and ovary, as well as the ovary width, were measured. In B-lines, pollen diameter, viability (cytoplasm density) and production were evaluated. Pollen germination and pollen tube growth in the pistils of the A-lines, were quantified in vivo with aniline blue and epifluorescence 18 h after pollination (HAP), while fertilized pistils were counted at 96 HAP. Histological studies on both pollinated and non-pollinated pistils were performed in one male-sterile line. Seed yield, mean-seed weight, seeds per panicle and seed set (SS; seeds/flower/ panicle) were determined at harvest. Pollen viability was the variable most related to pollen germination and pollen tube growth. Stigma receptivity was not associated with its morphology

In A‐lines of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench), seed production under field conditions with manual pollination is generally lower than that in self‐pollinated B‐lines. This may be associated with floral differences. Six pairs of A/B‐lines and four R‐lines were evaluated during 2005 and 2006 at Montecillo, State of México (2240 m altitude). Rachis length, number of primary branches and fertile flowers per panicle, 100‐seed weight, seed number, seed yield and seed set per panicle were evaluated. In the A‐lines, the pistil characteristics were also measured and in the male‐fertile lines, the size of anthers and the amount and size of viable pollen were recorded. Compared with the A‐ and B‐lines, the R‐lines exhibited significantly higher (P ≤ 0.05) numbers of flowers, seed set and seed yield per panicle and they also produced more pollen grains of larger size and with greater viability during their longer flowering period (FP). Between A‐ and B‐lines, there were differences (P ≤ 0.05) in most of the yield traits, which also interacted with year. The proportion of viable pollen in B‐ and R‐lines (75 %) was not considered to be a factor that might account for their low seed production. Chilling temperatures (3.5–8.4 °C) during the FP could have affected stigma receptivity in the three different line types and thus may have reduced seed set in the male‐fertile lines.

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is cultivated in regions with frequent drought periods and high temperatures, conditions that have intensified in the last decades. One of the most important photosynthetic components, sensible to hydric stress, is maximum quantum yield for photosystem II (PSII, or Fv/Fm). The objective of the present study was to identify sorghum genotypes with tolerance to hydric and heat stress. The treatments were hydric status (hydric stress or non-hydric stress (irrigation)), the plant’s developmental stages (pre or post-anthesis), and six genotypes. The response variables were Fv/Fm; photosynthetic rate (PN); stomatal conductance (gs); transpiration rate (E); relative water content (RWC); damage to cell membrane (DCM) at temperatures of 40 and 45 °C; and agronomic variables. The experiment was conducted in pots in open sky in Marín, N.L., in the dry and hot northeast Mexico. The treatment design was a split–split plot design, with three factors. Hydric stress diminished the functioning of the photosynthetic apparatus by 63%, due to damage caused to PSII. Pre-anthesis was the most vulnerable stage to hydric stress as it decreased the weight of grains per panicle (85%), number of grains per panicle (69%), and weight of 100 grains (46%). Genotypes LER 1 and LER 2 were identified as tolerant to hydric stress, as they had lower damage to PSII; LER 1 and LEB 2 for their superior RWC; and LER 1 as a thermo tolerant genotype, due to its lower DCM at 45 °C. It was concluded that LER 1 could have the potential for both hydric and heat stress tolerance in the arid northeast Mexico.

The aim of this research was to compare genetic parameters for traits related with seed germination and seedling vigour of single cross (SCH) vs. three-way (TWH) sorghum hybrids. The study was conducted in a sand bed under a greenhouse; 67 genotypes (four pairs of A-and B-lines, four R-lines, 13 SCH and 42 TWH) were allocated in a randomized complete blocks experimental design with three replications. Statistical analysis included ANOVA's and Student "t" tests, while Tukey test (p ≤ 0.05) was applied for mean comparisons. The R-lines showed better physiological seed quality attributes than the Aand B-lines. The seed quality and heterosis values of SCH vs. that of TWH did not show significant differences (p > 0.05) for any variable; however, heterobeltiosis of SCH was higher than that of TWY for normal seedlings, dry weight of plumule and seedling emergence rate. The A2-line and R14 restorer line showed the highest GCA values in both types of hybrids. No differences (p ≤ 0.05) were found between maternal and paternal effects of the A-and B-lines involved in the male sterile cross (female parent) of the TWH, except for plumule length in Line 5.