Chapter 18 - Advances in Sorghum Insect Pest Resistance

Abstract

The yield and quality of sorghum produce is affected by a wide array of biotic constraints. More than 150 insect species can infest sorghum crop worldwide causing damage from seedling stage to maturity. Even the stored sorghum grain is infested by stored pests such as grain weevil, moth, flour beetles, etc., affecting the quality. Though there are many pests attacking sorghum, major pests of sorghum in the field are shoot fly, stem borer, greenbug, corn planthopper, aphids, and sorghum midge. Promising sources of resistance to these key pests were identified both under natural and artificial infestation conditions, and efforts were made to utilize these resistant sources in breeding programs to develop genotypes with resistance to major pests in sorghum. This chapter outlines the important aspects involved in breeding for pest resistance in sorghum, including screening of germplasm and identifying the sources of resistance for the insect pest, studies on mechanisms of resistance and traits associated with resistance, inheritance studies on resistance and associated traits, and the advanced tools that have been employed for pest resistance in sorghum.