Understanding Genetic Control of Biotic Stress Resistance in Sorghum for Applied Breeding

Abstract

Sorghum yield and production stability are constrained by various biotic stresses such as different insects and diseases. The biotic stresses not only reduce the yields but results in poor grain quality thus hampering its marketability and utilization leading to severe economic losses. Development of host plant resistance is one of the cheapest and sustainable methods for managing the insect pests and diseases. Improvement in stress resistance will increase ecological fi tness, reduce pesticide use, and facilitate creation of a sustainable production system with increased effi ciency, profi tability and to enhance grain quality/enduse traits. An integrated synergistic system involving plant breeding and genomics research using advanced molecular tools could increase the effi ciency and precision of crop improvement. This chapter deals with recent developments with regard to sorghum adaptation to different production systems, major biotic stresses affecting sorghum production, understanding genetic control of biotic stress resistance, screening techniques developed, QTLs identifi ed for various stresses and the progress made in cultivar development using this knowledge.

Bulk Segregant Analysis for the Identification of Shoot Fly Resistance Linked Molecular Marker in Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench]

“…Glossy leaves (Agrawal and House, 1982), seedling vigour (Jadhav et al, 1986) and trichomes on the abaxial leaf blade (Maiti and Bidinger, 1979) are reported to be the main factors responsible to shoot fly resistance. To identify sources of resistance to shoot fly, a large number of sorghum germplasm accessions were screened and resistance sources were identified (Kumar et al, 2014).…”