Skip to main content
SLU publication database (SLUpub)

Research article2011Peer reviewed

Disease severity, incidence and races of Setosphaeria turcica on sorghum in Uganda

Ramathani, Idd; Biruma, Moses; Martin, Thomas; Dixelius, Christina; Okori, Patrick

Abstract

In order to understand the underlaying causes of new severe turcicum leaf blight outbreaks in East Africa, a survey was undertaken in Uganda to examine the sorghum-Setosphaeria turcica interaction in terms of disease severity and incidence, the overall fungal population structure, and new resistant resources. Highest disease severities were recorded on caudatum accessions, whereas kafir genotypes were most resistant. The disease was more severe in the most humid farmlands compared to moderately dry agro-ecologies. In districts with wide adoption of the Epuripur variety a very high incidence (100%) of turcicum leaf blight was found. The two S. turcica mating type genes MAT1-1 and MAT1-2 assessed on fungal isolates deriving from both sorghum and maize diseased leaves were found in 20 of 23 districts sampled and in equal proportions. Upon cross inoculation on maize differential lines, four S. turcica isolates were identified as race 1, two as race 2, and one isolate corresponded to race 0 and race 3, respectively. The remaining 10 S. turcica isolates did not cause any disease symptoms on the maize lines assessed. Highly resistant accessions originating from a regional collection were found among the five sorghum races (kafir, guinea, caudatum, bicolor and durra), and are now implemented in new sorghum disease resistance programs.

Keywords

Exserohilum turcicum; Northern corn leaf blight; Sorghum

Published in

European Journal of Plant Pathology
2011, Volume: 131, number: 3, pages: 383-392 Publisher: SPRINGER

      SLU Authors

    • UKÄ Subject classification

      Agricultural Science

      Publication identifier

      DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-011-9815-1

      Permanent link to this page (URI)

      https://res.slu.se/id/publ/58851