Crop and Pasture Science (2013) 64, 892-900

Shamsul A. Bhuiyan, Barry J. Croft, Emily C. Deomano, Rebecca S. James and Joanne K. Stringer (2013)
Mechanism of resistance in Australian sugarcane parent clones to smut and the effect of hot water treatment
Crop and Pasture Science 64 (9), 892-900
Abstract: Resistance of sugarcane plants to smut is believed to be manifested by two mechanisms, (i) external resistance, governed by structural barrier of bud scale and/or chemical secretion from the bud, and (ii) internal resistance, regulated by interaction of plants and fungus within the plant tissue. Hot water treatments are routinely used to treat seed cane to eliminate a range of diseases including smut. It is believed that hot water treatment predisposes sugarcane plant to smut. This study was conducted to determine the resistance mechanisms of some important Australian parent clones, and their response to hot water treatment in relation to smut infection. Twenty-one clones, used regularly in the Australian sugarcane breeding program, were evaluated. Results showed that ~47% of clones had external and 33% had internal resistance mechanisms, indicating that parent clones selected for this study possessed diverse mechanism of resistance. There is a possibility some or all clones with internal resistance mechanisms could also possess external resistance mechanism. Except one highly susceptible clone (Q205) in one trial, none of the clones subject to hot water treatment became more susceptible to smut. Although some clones showed increased resistance after hot water treatment. These findings will benefit breeders in selecting parent materials in their crossing programs to develop smut-resistant cultivars.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Shamsul A. Bhuiyan

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
resistance/tolerance/defence of host
control - general

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Sporisorium scitamineum	Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum)