Davis RF, Harris-Shultz K, Hayes C, Xin Z, Knoll JE
The southern root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita, is widespread in the tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate areas of the world, where it causes damage to a wide variety of crops. Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) is an important grain and forage crop in many parts of the world, and it is especially important in drier areas where other crops may struggle to produce well. Sorghum is typically a good host for M. incognita, although a few resistant genotypes have been reported. Identifying additional sources of resistance could prolong the effectiveness of currently available sources. We evaluated a selection of genetically diverse sorghum genotypes, including several prominent hybrids and inbreds that are used in sorghum breeding programs, in controlled reproduction tests in a greenhouse for resistance to M. incognita. None of the genotypes tested were highly resistant, however, five genotypes (BTx378, BTx399, Tx7000, SC1154, and msd2) were moderately resistant. ‘Honey Drip’ was the resistant standard in the test and was confirmed to be resistant, and the moderately resistant genotypes did not contain a haplotype similar to the ‘Honey Drip’ resistance QTL region on chromosome 3, and, therefore, likely represent at least one previously undescribed source of resistance.