Mutation Breeding for Resistance to Striga Hermonthica in Sorghum and Rice for Sustainable Food Production in Sudan

Abstract

Striga is the most limiting biotic constraint to sorghum and rice production in much of Sudan. This chapter describes protocols used to screen for Striga resistance among gamma irradiated elite sorghum and rice cultivars adapted to Sudanese agroecologies. The original cultivars show high yield potential but are Striga susceptible. The physical mutagenesis attempted to create genetic variants among these Sudanese cultivars with improved Striga resistance. Methods for collecting, cleaning, storing and testing germination of S. hermonthica seeds suitable for resistance screening are also described.