Breeding for Resistance to the Sorghum Shoot Fly¹

Screening sorghum ( Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) varieties for seedling resistance to the sorghum shoot fly ( Atherigona varia , Meigen) gave inconsistent results, and “recovery resistance” (tolerance) proved a better character. When levels of pest attack were high, infestation levels exceeded 90%, indicating that there was little worthwhile seedling resistance in the sorghums being tested. In contrast, good recovery resistance was shown by the cultivars ‘Serena’ and ‘Namatare,’ and more than 70% of the infested plants recovered and yielded normally. Recovery resistance was associated with good yield from tillers, and heritability was fairly high. ‘Namatare’ proved a successful parent, and grain sorghums with a combination of good shoot fly recovery resistance and yield were developed from crosses between Namatare and susceptible sorghums.