Screening of Sugarcane Genotypes for their Resistance to Red Rot Caused by Colletotrichum falcatum

Sugarcane is the second important commercial crop, serves as multipurpose feed stock for production of sugar, alcohol and bioenergy. Red rot of sugarcane, caused by Colletotrichum falcatum Went, is a serious fungal disease affecting sugarcane stalks, the economical part of sugarcane is a soil and sett borne disease. For sustainable crop cultivation, breeding for disease resistance is an ecofriendly and dominant approach for integrated red rot disease management. Many popular varieties were lost due to red rot. Varieties under preliminary yield trials should be screened for red rot before release into commercial cultivation. For sugarcane red rot screening, artificial inoculation to standing canes of selected genotypes was done by standard plug and nodal cotton swab method. A total of 10 genotypes and three differential host varieties Co C 671, Co 997 and Co 419 as check varieties were evaluated with three distinct pathotyes of Colletotrichum falcatum Cf 671, Cf 997 and Cf 419 by plug and cotton swab method. Out of 10 genotypes, the genotypes 2018 V7, 2018V78 and 2018 V79 were found moderately resistant to all the three pathotypes. Whereas in nodal method of inoculation out of 10 genotypes, 8 were found resistant when evaluated with all the three distinct pathotypes. Those varieties which were found to be resistant to both the methods with desirable characters and above average yield were recommended. Sugarcane is the second important commercial crop, serves as multipurpose feed stock for production of sugar, alcohol and bioenergy. Red rot of sugarcane, caused by Colletotrichum falcatum Went, is a serious fungal disease affecting sugarcane stalks, the economical part of sugarcane is a soil and sett borne disease. For sustainable crop cultivation, breeding for disease resistance is an ecofriendly and dominant approach for integrated red rot disease management. Many popular varieties were lost due to red rot. Varieties under preliminary yield trials should be screened for red rot before release into commercial cultivation. For sugarcane red rot screening, artificial inoculation to standing canes of selected genotypes was done by standard plug and nodal cotton swab method. A total of 10 genotypes and three differential host varieties Co C 671, Co 997 and Co 419 as check varieties were evaluated with three distinct pathotyes of Colletotrichum falcatum Cf 671, Cf 997 and Cf 419 by plug and cotton swab method. Out of 10 genotypes, the genotypes 2018 V7, 2018V78 and 2018 V79 were found moderately resistant to all the three pathotypes. Whereas in nodal method of inoculation out of 10 genotypes, 8 were found resistant when evaluated with all the three distinct pathotypes. Those varieties which were found to be resistant to both the methods with desirable characters and above average yield were recommended.