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Resistance

Inheritance of Resistance to Pokkah Boeng in Sugarcane Crosses. P. M. Lyrene, Assistant Professor of Agronomy, Agricultural Research and Education Center, Belle Glade, FL 33430; J. L. Dean(2), and N. I. James(3). (2)(3)Research Plant Pathologist and Research Agronomist, Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Canal Point, FL 33438. Phytopathology 67:689-692. Accepted for publication 18 November 1976. Copyright © 1977 The American Phytopathological Society, 3340 Pilot Knob Road, St. Paul, MN 55121. All rights reserved.. DOI: 10.1094/Phyto-67-689.

Severity of natural infection of sugarcane by the pokkah boeng organism (Gibberella moniliformis) was estimated for 40 populations of sugarcane grown in a randomized block with six replications. The 40 populations consisted of 25 F₁ populations from five males × five females, ten vegetatively-propated parental populations, and five S₁ populations from selfed male parents. Heritability estimates for disease reaction were very high, indicating that genetic differences among populations were responsible for most of the observed differences in pokkah boeng reaction. This study indicates that the frequency of pokkah boeng susceptibility within F₁ populations can be accurately predicted if the degree of susceptibility of the parental clones is known.