Establishment and Application of Identification Methods for Resistance to Sugarcane White Leaf Disease(SCWL)

[Objectives]This study was conducted to establish simple, efficient, stable, standardized and practical identification methods for sugarcane resistance to white leaf disease(SCWL), and promote the breeding for sugarcane resistance to SCWL. [Methods]The identification technology of sugarcane resistance to SCWL was systematically studied and explored from the aspects of sugarcane material treatment and planting, inoculation liquid preparation, inoculation method, disease investigation, grading standard formulation, etc., and two sets of simple, efficient, stable, standardized and practical accurate identification methods for sugarcane resistance to SCWL were created for the first time, namely, the seed cane coating inoculation method and the stem-cutting inoculation method at the growth stage. The seed cane coating inoculation method includes the steps of directly screening SCWL phytoplasma, extracting juice from cane and adding 10 times of sterile water to prepare an inoculation liquid, spraying seed cane on plastic film to keep moisture, planting the inoculated materials in barrels in an insect-proof greenhouse for cultivation, investigating the incidence rate 30 d after inoculation, and evaluating the disease resistance according to the 1-5 level standard. The method of stem-cutting inoculation includes the steps of directly screening sugarcane stems carrying SCWL phytoplasma and adding 10 times of sterile water to prepare an inoculation liquid, cultivating the identification materials in an insect-proof greenhouse, dropping 100 μl of the inoculation liquid into each root incision with a pipette gun at the age of 6 months, investigating the incidence rate 20 d after planting, and evaluating the disease resistance according to the 1-5 level standard. [Results] The two methods are similar to the natural transmission method. After inoculation, SCML occurred significantly, with high sensitivity and good reproducibility. The results of resistance identification were consistent with those of natural disease in the field. Through the two inoculation methods and field natural disease investigation, the resistance of 10 main cultivars to SCML was identified, which was true and reliable. [Conclusions] This study can provide standard varieties for identification of SCML resistance in the future.