Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Male to female row ratio and fungicide application during panicle development to control sorghum ergot in the Mexican Highlands

  • Published:
Australasian Plant Pathology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The effect of male to female row ratios and fungicide application at several panicle development stages to control sorghum ergot, under field conditions and natural infection was studied at Texcoco, State of México. A pair of isogenic sorghum lines (A9/B9) was sown in May 3 and June 10, 2005; and in April 3, 2006. Two male to female row ratios (M:F = 2:4, 2:6) were used in 2005, and 2:8 and 2:12 in 2006. Propiconazole (Tilt®) was sprayed on the female rows at a rate of 250 g a.i. ha−1 from panicle emergence to the end of flowering, with one, two and three applications. Pollen viability was quantified in the B9-line. Seed yield per hectare, seed production per panicle, disease incidence and severity, number of sclerotia per panicle, seeds contaminated by honeydew per panicle, and seed germination were registered in the A9-line. Pollen viability varied from 76 to 89 % among sowing dates despite the fact that at microsporogenesis, mean minimum temperature was below 9.2 °C. Fungicide application accounted for 49 % of the observed variance. The greatest seed yield (2,358 kg ha−1) was obtained in 2006, which surpassed by 195 kg ha−1 the mean value of the dates sown in 2005. Disease incidence and severity were significantly greater in the 2006 trial than at both planting dates in 2005. In contrast, sowing dates showed small differences in seed production per panicle and seed germination. Fungicide treatment with three applications produced a better ergot control than treatments with one or two applications.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aguirre RJ, Williams AH, Montes GN, Cortinas-Escobar HM (1997) First report of sorghum ergot caused by Sphacelia sorghi in México. Plant Dis 81:831

    Google Scholar 

  • Bandyopadhyay R, Frederickson DE, McLaren NW, Odvody GN, Ryley MJ (1998) Ergot: a new disease threat to sorghum, in the Americas and Australia. Plant Dis 82:356–367

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chakraborty S, Ryley MJ (2008) Sorghum ergot can develop with local Claviceps africana from infected plants. Plant Pathol 57:473–483

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cisneros-López ME, Mendoza-Onofre LE, Zavaleta-Mancera HA, González-Hernández VA, Córdova-Téllez L, Hernández-Martínez M, Mora-Aguilera G (2009) Floral traits and seed production of sorghum A-, B-, and R- lines under chilling field temperatures. J Agron Crop Sci 195:464–471

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cisneros-López ME, Mendoza-Onofre LE, González-Hernández VA, Mora-Aguilera G, Hernández-Martínez M, Zavaleta-Mancera HA, Córdova-Téllez L (2010) Floral traits, ergot resistance and grain yield relationships in infected male-sterile sorghum A-lines. Seed Sci Technol 38:123–133

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dahlberg JA, Peterson GL, Odvody GN, Bonde M (1999) Inhibition of germination and sporulation of Claviceps africana from honeydew encrusted sorghum with seed treatment fungicides. Crop Prot 18:235–238

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Eastin JD, Hultquist JH, Sullivan CY (1973) Physiological maturity in grain sorghum. Crop Sci 13:175–178

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frederiksen RA, Odvody GN (2000) Compendium of sorghum diseases, 2nd edn. APS, St. Paul (Minn)

    Google Scholar 

  • Frederiksen RA, Odvody GN (2003) Inhibition of germination of sphacelial of Claviceps africana following treatment of seed-sphacelial admixtures with captan. Crop Prot 22:95–98

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hernández-Martínez M, Mendoza-Onofre LE, Ramírez-Vallejo P, Osada-Kawasoe S, Cárdenas-Soriano E, Zavala-García F (2002) Response of sorghum B y R lines to ergot (Claviceps africana) at Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico. In: Leslie JF (ed) Sorghum and millets diseases. Blackwell Publishing Company, Ames Iowa, pp 83–85

    Google Scholar 

  • Hernández-Martínez M, Mendoza-Onofre LE, Ramírez Vallejo P, Cárdenas-Soriano E (2006) Incidence and severity of ergot (Claviceps africana Frederickson, Mantle and de Milliano) in two male-sterile sorghum lines as a function of distance from pollen source and its impact on seed production and quality. Seed Sci Technol 34:393–402

    Google Scholar 

  • Isakeit T, Odvody GN, Shelby RA (1998) First report of sorghum ergot caused by Claviceps africana in the United States. Plant Dis 82:592

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ISTA (1999) International seed testing association. International rules for seed testing, Zurich

    Google Scholar 

  • León-Velasco H, Mendoza-Onofre LE, Castillo-González F, Cervantes-Santana T, Martínez-Garza A (2009) Evaluation of two generations of sorghum hybrids and parental lines. I: genetic variability and adaptability. Agrociencia 43:483–496

    Google Scholar 

  • McLaren NW (1997) Changes in pollen viability and concomitant increase in the incidence of sorghum ergot with flowering date and implications in selection for escape resistance. J Phytopathol 145:261–265

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McLaren NW, Wehner FC (1990) Relationship between climatic variables during early flowering of sorghum and the incidence of sugary caused by Sphacelia sorghi. J Phytopathol 130:82–88

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McLaren NW, Saayman J, Benade J, Van der Walt M (2002) Evaluation of reduced sorghum germination. In: Leslie JF (ed) Sorghum and millets diseases. Blackwell Publishing Company, Ames Iowa, pp 267–268

    Google Scholar 

  • Meinke H, Ryley N (1997) Effects of sorghum ergot on grain sorghum production: a preliminary climatic analysis. Aust J Agric Res 48:1241–1247

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mendoza-Onofre LE, Hernández-Martínez M, Cárdenas-Soriano E, Ramírez-Vallejo P (2006) Cold-tolerant sorghum germplasm as a potential source to ergot (Claviceps africana Frederickson, Mantle & de Milliano) tolerance. Agrociencia 40:593–603

    Google Scholar 

  • Montes N, Odvody GN, Williams-Alanis H (2002) Advances in Claviceps africana chemical control. In: Leslie JF (ed) Sorghum and millets diseases. Blackwell Publishing Company, Ames Iowa, pp 105–110

    Google Scholar 

  • Montes-Belmont R, Méndez-Ramírez I, Flores-Moctezuma E (2002) Relationship between sorghum ergot, sowing dates and climatic variables in Morelos, México. Crop Prot 21:899–905

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Montes-García N, Williams-Alanis H, Odvody GN, Prom LK (2005) Comparative efficacy of triazole fungicides for control of Claviceps africana Frederickson, Mantle and de Milliano in sorghum [(Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] seed production of north Mexico. Rev Fitopatol Mex 23:152–156

    Google Scholar 

  • Montes-García N, Prom LK, Williams-Alanis H, Isakeit T (2009) Effect of temperature and relative humidity on sorghum ergot development in northern México. Australas Plant Pathol 38:632–637

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Odvody GN (2002) Recommendation from the ergot working group at the third global conference on sorghum and millets diseases. In: Leslie JF (ed) Sorghum and millets diseases. Blackwell Publishing Company, Ames Iowa, pp 73–74

    Google Scholar 

  • Parh DK, Jordan DR, Aitken EAB, Gogel BJ, McIntyre CL, Godwin ID (2006) Genetic components of variance and role of pollen traits in sorghum ergot resistance. Crop Sci 46:2387–2395

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pfender WF (2006) Interaction of fungicide physical modes of action and plant phenology in control of stem rust of perennial ryegrass grown for seed. Plant Dis 90:1225–1232

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Prom LK, Isakeit T (2003) Laboratory, greenhouse, and field assessment of fourteen fungicides for activity against Claviceps africana, causal agent of sorghum ergot. Plant Dis 87:252–258

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Reed JD, Ramundo BA, Claflin LE, Tuinstra MR (2002) Analysis of resistance to ergot in sorghum and potential alternate hosts. Crop Sci 42:1135–1138

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robinson RG (1984) Distance from pollen source and yields of male sterile sunflower and sorghum. Can J Plant Sci 64:857–861

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryley MJ (2005) Pollen release in Australian commercial grain sorghum hybrid cultivar, MR Buster. Int Sorghum Millets Newsl 46:25–28

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryley MJ, Chakraborty S (2008) Patterns of release of secondary conidia of Claviceps africana, the sorghum ergot pathogen in Australia. Plant Pathol 57:473–483

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryley M, Bhuiyan S, Herde D, Gordan B (2003) Efficacy timing and method of application of fungicides for management of sorghum ergot caused by Claviceps africana. Australas Plant Pathol 32:329–338

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • SAS Institute (2002) SAS/SAT. Ver. 9.1. SAS Institute, Cary

    Google Scholar 

  • Schultz TR, Johnston WJ, Golob CT, Maguire JD (1993) Control of ergot in Kentucky seed production using fungicides. Plant Dis 77:685–687

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang E, Meinke H, Ryley M, Herde D, Henzell R (2000) On the relation between weather variables and sorghum ergot infection. Aust J Agric Res 51:313–324

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wegulo SN, Martison CA, Rivera-C JM, Nutter FW (1997) Model for economic analysis of fungicide usage in hybrid corn seed production. Plant Dis 81:415–422

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wood AW, Tan DKY, Mamun EA, Sutton BG (2006) Sorghum can compensate for chilling-induced grain loss. J Agron Crop Sci 192:445–451

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Workneh F, Rush CM (2002) Evaluation of relationships between weather patterns and prevalence of sorghum ergot in Texas Panhandle. Phytopathology 92:659–666

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Workneh F, Narasimhan B, Srinivasan R, Rush CM (2006) Assessment of regional site-specific sorghum ergot severity potential using radar-rainfall measurement. Plant Dis 90:704–706

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the scholarship granted to the first author by the National Council of Science and Technology of México (CONACYT).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Producción de Semillas, Colegio de Postgraduados, Montecillo, Texcoco, Edo. de Mexico, Mexico

    Ma. Eugenia Cisneros-López & Leopoldo E. Mendoza-Onofre

  2. Genética, Colegio de Postgraduados, Montecillo, Texcoco, Edo. de Mexico, Mexico

    Víctor E. González-Hernández

  3. INIFAP-CERIB, Km 61 Carr. Matamoros-Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico

    Noé Montes-García

Authors
  1. Ma. Eugenia Cisneros-López
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Leopoldo E. Mendoza-Onofre
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Víctor E. González-Hernández
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Noé Montes-García
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ma. Eugenia Cisneros-López.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Cisneros-López, M.E., Mendoza-Onofre, L.E., González-Hernández, V.E. et al. Male to female row ratio and fungicide application during panicle development to control sorghum ergot in the Mexican Highlands. Australasian Plant Pathol. 41, 389–396 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13313-012-0138-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13313-012-0138-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation