Marker assisted selection for shoot fly tolerance in sorghum, Sorghum bicolor

The marker assisted selection for shootfly tolerance in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) was aimed at to introgress the glossiness and trichome density resistant QTLs using specific SSR markers. A total 136 BC3 and 30 BC4 plant progenies were obtained by crossing BC2 X AKSV 13 R and BC3 X AKSV 13 R respectively which were then evaluated for phenotyping and genotyping using specific foreground primers. Phenotypic correlations between the component traits of shoot fly resistance were estimated based on individual progeny from each of BC3 and BC4 populations under study. Yield showed highly significant and positive correlation with trichome density, glossiness and pigmentation in all BC3 and BC4 populations under study. Foreground selection of BC3 progenies using markers associated with QTL co-localized with genomic region for glossiness and trichome density revealed heterozygote alleles in plant no. BC3 7, BC3 - 16, BC3 - 49 and BC3 - 113 compared to their donor parent. Foreground selection of BC4 revealed heterozygote alleles in plant no. BC4 - 14 and BC4 - 24. Amplification with foreground markers revealed QTL specific allele recovery from donor parent (IS 18551) in BC3 and BC4 population. Plant no. BC3 - 50, BC3 - 75 and BC3 - 133 among BC3 population and plant no. BC4 - 6, BC4 - 7 and BC4 - 17 of BC4 population showed maximum alleles with expected size.