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Association Of Plant Color And Pericarp Color With Colonization Of Grain By Members Of Fusarium And Alternaria In Near-Isogenic Sorghum Lines, Deanna L. Funnell, Jeffrey F. Pedersen

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

White sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) grain from tan plants is more desirable for human or animal consumption. Colonization by Fusarium and Alternaria spp. was assessed for near-isogenic lines differing in wound response (purple or tan) and pericarp color (red or white) in field-grown grain and in greenhouse-grown plants. Seeds were screened on a semi-selective medium for Alternaria and Fusarium. Significantly fewer fungal colonies were obtained from tan plants with white seed, and fewer numbers of Alternaria colonies were obtained from white seed, regardless of plant color, from an irrigated field, while there were no differences in fungal composition …