Genetic Divergence and Molecular Characterization of Sorghum Hybrids and their Parents for Reaction to Atherigona Soccata (Rondani)

• Published in: Euphytica 2006-05, Vol.149 (1-2), p.199-210
• Main Authors: Dhillon, M.K, Sharma, H.C, Folkertsma, R.T, Chandra, S
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Animal populations; Atherigona soccata; Biological and medical sciences; chromosome mapping; cytoplasmic male sterility; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene mapping; Genetic diversity; genetic markers; genetic variation; Genetics and breeding of economic plants; grain sorghum; Heterosis. Floral biology applications: apomixy, male sterility, incompatibility, varia; Hybrids; inbred lines; insect pests; microsatellite repeats; pest resistance; phenotypic variation; Plant breeding: fundamental aspects and methodology; quantitative trait loci; Sorghum; Sorghum bicolor; Varietal selection. Specialized plant breeding, plant breeding aims
• ISSN: 0014-2336; 1573-5060
• DOI: 10.1007/s10681-005-9067-2

Simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers linked to quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with resistance to sorghum shoot fly, Atherigona soccata resistance were used to characterize the genetic and phenotypic diversity of 12 cytoplasmic male-sterile (CMS) and maintainers, 12 restorer lines, and 144 F sub(1) hybrids. The genetic diversity was quite high among the shoot fly-susceptible parents and the hybrids based on them, as indicated by high polymorphic information content (PIC) values, while limited genetic diversity was observed among shoot fly-resistant lines. The phenotypic and genotypic dissimilarity analysis indicated that the shoot fly-resistant and -susceptible parents were 73.2 and 38.5% distinct from each other, and the morphological and genetic distances of certain resistant and susceptible cross combinations was more than their resistant or susceptible parents. Genetic variability among the groups was low (10.8%), but high within groups (89.2%). The genetic and morphological distances suggested that the F sub(1) hybrids were closer to CMS (5 to 12% dissimilar) than the restorer (11 to 87% dissimilar), suggesting that CMS influences the expression of resistance to sorghum shoot fly. The SSR markers can be used to characterize the homologous traits in sorghum germplasm.