Sterile genotypes of grain sorghum show resistance to the sugarcane aphid

Presenting Author(s)

CC

Camille Carey, n/a

Graduate Student
Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States

Co-Author(s)

SA

Scott Armstrong

Research Entomologist / Lead Scientist
USDA-ARS, Wheat, Peanut, and Other Field Crops Research Unit
Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States
CH

Chad Hayes

Sorghum Geneticist
USDA-ARS Cropping Systems Research Laboratory
Lubbock, Texas, United States
W Wyatt Hoback

Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States
AZ

Ali Zarrabi

Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States

Grain sorghum Sorghum bicolor (L.) production in the United States has been impacted by the sugarcane aphid Melanaphis sacchari (Zehntner) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) now a perennial pest of grain and forage sorghum. Since the initial reports of M. sacchari damage in sorghum in 2013, the aphid has rapidly expanded its range and now colonizes 17 states annually in the sorghum. Screening and breeding for resistant germplasm and varieties to aphid damage is one of the keys for integrated pest management (IPM), and a number of sorghum cultivars with resistance have been identified. However, resistance in sterile lines of sorghum has not been documented despite the fact that resistance in sterile lines would greatly enhance the ability of breeders to generate resistance with additional traits. In this research we evaluated nine sorghum entries including two known SCA resistant sorghums, TX 2783 and DKS-3707, and two known susceptible entries , TX 7000 and KS 585 in a free-choice flat screen trial. Two sterile lines, H8237 and H8238 showed resistance to damage and chlorophyll loss that were similar to TX283. The documentation of resistance in sterile lines may improve IPM for the sugarcane aphid for grain sorghums and will be further tested in field trials.