Resistance of Sugarcane Clones (Saccharum spp.) to Red Rot Disease (Collectorichum falcatum Went) and Analysis of Resistant clone by FTIR

Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) is an important industrial crop and mainly grown for the sugar and jaggery production. The major constraint in the sugarcane cultivation is the outbreak of red rot disease and many high yielding and high sugar varieties succumb to the disease-causing huge reduction in the cane yield and also quality of cane. The disease is very difficult to manage as the pathogen is deep seated in the stalk. Exploitation of the host resistance in viable way to contain the disease. The sugarcane clones developed were screened for resistance to red rot disease by artificial inoculation. Among the 52 clones screened three clones viz., C15632, 16G032 and 16G031 behaved resistant and thirteen clones C15004, C15006, C15011, C15021, C15095, C15157, C15559, C15603, 16G006, 16G087, 16G046, 15G060 and 15G028 behaved moderately resistant to red rot. In the FT-IR analysis of the leaf samples of resistant type clones spectral peaks were found in wave length of 1046 cm-1, 1044 cm-1 and 1068 cm-1 associate with the functional group of the molecule Aliphatic fluoro compound, C-F stretch / Primary alcohol, C-O Stretch / Primary amine, CN stretch / Phosphate / Silicate ions and these functional group of components may be associated for the resistance to the red rot.