Major Sorghum Production Constraints and Coping Mechanisms: The Case of Anthracnose (Colletotrichum sublineolum)

Abstract

This paper attempts to review the major sorghum production constraints, the progress and perspective on sorghum anthracnose (Colletotrichum sublineolum) resistance breeding. The importance of anthracnose in sorghum production and breeding for resistance status and progress were also primly discovered. Sorghum is an ancient environment resilient crop and believed to be a future crop due to its important merits like tolerant to stresses, wide adaptability and low input requirement. Insects and disease are major biotic impediments to realizing the yield potential of the crop. Anthracnose disease caused by Colletotrichum sublineolum is the most important disease that severely affecting the crop in all sorghum producing regions of the world. Research results revealed that anthracnose resulted in 30-50% or greater yield losses. Several management strategies such as, cultural, chemical and using resistance varieties have been developed. Employing host-plant resistance is the most economical and environmentally friendly approach which can successfully control the disease. Breeding assisted with molecular markers plays a great role in resistance breeding programme as it makes easy to screen large number of genotypes at once. Recent advancement of molecular breeding and bio-informatics tools are playing a significant role in efficiencies and precisions of resistance breeding. QTLs or genomic area for resistance were identified using traditional molecular markers and recent research results revealed discoveries of specific gene and locus using high throughput markers like SNPs using GWAS approach. The discovery of genes/QTL associated with the resistance trait, using the high through put molecular markers like SNPs, facilitates the easiest way for gene pyramiding from different individual genotypes to a single variety, introgression into adapted elite cultivar through marker assisted and editing genes for elite landraces to develop durable resistance varieties. Transgenic approach is now a day becoming a powerful tool to utilize novel alien genes for crop improvement including anthracnose resistance breeding in sorghum.