Sorghum Diseases in India

immune. The vectors of this virus are Rhopalosiphum
maidis and Melanaphis sacchari.
Bandyopadhyay et al. (1987) reported wilt of
sorghum from north India caused by Acremonium
strictum and its transmission through
seed.
Multiple Disease and Insect
Resistance
A number of germplasm lines were tested at
several locations for multiple-disease resistance
(Table 5). Plants were exposed to 10 diseases; IS
3443,3547, and 8283 showed resistance to all but
ergot. All lines in the trial, however, showed
only moderate resistance to ergot. IS 14332 was
only moderately resistant to charcoal rot.
All breeders' materials in this multilocational
trial were resistant to anthracnose, downy mildew,
leaf blight, rough leaf spot, rust, sooty
stripe, and zonate leaf spot. All were moderately
resistant to grain mold as well as to ergot. SPV
346 and SB 1085 were resistant to charcoal rot;
the other breeders' lines were either susceptible
or only moderately resistant to this disease.
In a study of selecting for inheritance of multiple-disease
resistance, Rana et al. (1982b) discussed
the possibility of selecting progenies
possessing resistance to downy mildew, rust,
and charcoal rot. Our studies involving crosses
IS 3443(R) x QL 3(S), 296 B(S) x IS 3547(R), and
296 B(S) x QL 3(R) indicated that it is possible to
incorporate resistance for sorhum downy mildew
(SDM), rust, and zonate leaf spots in the
new progenies.
Table 5. Multiple-disease resistance in sorghum in All India Coordinated Sorghum Improvement
Project (AICSIP) trials, India. 1
Germplasm GM SDM CR Ergot Rust Zn Anth LB SS RLS
Indian sorghum
IS 3443 R R R MR R R R R R R
IS 3547 R R R MR R R R R R R
IS 6365 R R R MR S R R S R R
IS 8383 R R R MR R R R R R R
IS 18758 R S MR MR R R R R R R
IS 14332 R R MR MR R MR R R R R
IS 2328 R MR MR MR R R R R R R
Breeders' material
CSF 4 MR R S MR R R R R R R
HPV 126 MR R S MR R R R R R R
SPV 81 MR R s MR R R R R R R
SPV 346 MR R R MR R R R R R R
SPV 351 MR R s MR R R R R R R
SPV 386 MR R MR MR R R R R R R
SPV 462 MR R MR MR R R R R R R
SPV 736 MR R MR MR R R R R R R
SPV 775 MR R MR MR R R R R R R
DMS 1 B MR R S MR R R R R R R
MR 750 MR R MR MR R R R R R R
SB 1085 MR R R MR R R R R R R
1. R = Resistant, MR = Moderately resistant, S = Susceptible; GM = Grain molds, SDM = Sorghum downy mildew,
52
CR = Charcoal rot, Zn = Zonate leaf spots, Anth = Anthracnose, LB = Leaf blight, SS = Sooty stripe, and RLS =
Rough leaf spot.