Morphological and Cultural and Variation of Exserohilum turcicum isolates in Sorghum (Sorghum bicolour L.)
##article.abstract##
Sorghum is mainly cultivated for human consumption. Although it is considered as the second most important cereal crop after maize in Africa, this crop is affected by various diseases due to availability of hybrids that are susceptible. Therefore, this research is aimed at characterizing Exserohilum turcicum that is a causative agent of Turcicum leaf blight in Western region of Kenya using cultural and morphological characteristics. Diseased leaf samples of sorghum were collected from two regions (Kibos and Sega) in Western region of Kenya. A number of 6 fungal isolates were studied for both cultural (colony color, pigmentation, sporulation and growth pattern) and morphological (conidia) properties after twelve days of growth on PDA at 25 0C. Cultural characteristics did show that there was variation among isolates of E. turcicum in colony growth and colour. The colony color was categorized into three categories i.e. gray, dark gray and golden brown. Based on colony pigmentation, the isolates were grouped into black and brown. Based on sporulation, the isolates were classified as; profuse, moderate and fair. On the other hand, the conidial shapes were observed to be curved and fusiform-elliptical. Results also showed significant variations in conidial size, length and width and number of septa in the six isolates of E. turcicum. The largest conidia were reported for isolate Western 1 (103 µm in length and 23.86 µm in width). The average number of septa was 4.5 (range 3-6 septa). Isolates from the two study regions reported similar cultural and morphological characteristics. The characteristics studied which were morphological and cultural showed that, the isolates were E. turcicum. The results of this study will serve as a model for other studies in the future and will also assist in coming up with mitigating losses in sorghum yield.
References
Aden, M. H. (1991). Studies of sorghum leaf blight incited by Excerohilum turcicum (Pass) Leo. & Suggs (Doctoral dissertation, Andhra Pradesh Agricultural University).
Chandrashekara, C., Jha, S. K., Arunkumar, R., & Agrawal, P. K. (2014). Identification of new sources of resistance to turcicum leaf blight and maydis leaf blight in maize (Zea Mays L.). SABRAO J. Breed. Genet, 46(1), 44-55.
Food Agriculture Organization (2009). The state of food insecurity in the world.
Harlapur, S. I., Kulkarni, M. S., Hegde, Y., & Kulkarni, S. (2007). Variability in Exserohilum turcicum (Pass.) Leonard and Suggs., causal agent of turcicum leaf blight of maize. Karnataka Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 20(3), 665-666.
Harlapur, S. I., Kulkarni, M. S., Kulkarni, S., & Patil, B. C. (2009). Assessment of crop loss due to turcicum leaf blight caused by Exserohilum turcicum (Pass.) Leonard and Suggs in maize. Indian Phytopathology, 62(2), 144-154.
IPCC, A. (2007). Intergovernmental panel on climate change. Climate change 2007: Synthesis report.
Manamgoda, D. S., Cai, L., McKenzie, E. H., Crous, P. W., Madrid, H., Chukeatirote, E., ... & Hyde, K. D. (2012). A phylogenetic and taxonomic re-evaluation of the Bipolaris-Cochliobolus-Curvularia complex. Fungal Diversity, 56(1), 131-144.
Muiru, W. M., Mutitu, E. W., Kimenju, J. W., Koopmann, B., & Tiedemann, A. V. (2008). Infectious structures and response of maize plants to invasion by Exserohilum turcicum (Pass). in compatible and incompatible host pathogen systems. Journal of applied biosciences, 10(2), 532-537.
Muui, C. W., Muasya, R. M., & Kirubi, D. T. (2013). Baseline survey on factors affecting sorghum production and use in eastern Kenya. African journal of food, agriculture, nutrition and development, 13(1), 7339-7353.
Ngugi, H. K., Julian, A. M., King, S. B., & Peacocke, B. J. (2000). Epidemiology of sorghum anthracnose (Colletotrichum sublineolum) and leaf blight (Exserohilum turcicum) in Kenya. Plant Pathology, 49(1), 129-140.
Ogeto, R. M., Cheruiyot, E., Mshenga, P., & Onyari, C. N. (2013). Sorghum production for food security: A socio-economic analysis of sorghum production in Nakuru County, Kenya. African Journal of Agricultural Research, 8(47), 6055-606
7.
Ogeto, R. M., Cheruiyot, E., Mshenga, P., & Onyari, C. N. (2013). Sorghum production for food security: A socio-economic analysis of sorghum production in Nakuru County, Kenya. African Journal of Agricultural Research, 8(47), 6055-6067.
RAMATHANI, I. (2010). Characterisation of Turcicum leaf blight epidemics and pathogen populations in the Exserohilum turcicum–sorghum pathosystem of Uganda (Doctoral dissertation, MAKERERE UNIVERSITY).
Reddy, T. R., Reddy, P. N., Reddy, R. R., & Reddy, S. S. (2014). Cultural and morphological variability among Exserohilum turcicum isolates causing turcicum leaf blight of maize. Environment and Ecology, 32(1), 16-21.
Sivanesan, A. (1987). Graminicolous species of Bipolaris, Curvularia, Drechslera, Exserohilum and their teleomorphs. CAB International.
Takuji, S., & Baltazar, A. A. (2009). Sorghum genome: drought tolerance in genes. Nature, 457, 547-548.
Were J. O. (2012) Diversity and Virulence of Celletotrichum species infecting Sorghum bicolor in the lake basin regions of Kenya (MSc. Thesis) Univeristy of Eldoret.
