Most of our varieties evolved are from fuzz of CP origin and occupying a large area under sugarcane crop in Pakistan. While making selection of different selection stages, it has been observed that sugarcane lines having marvelous growth and sugar recovery etc. but whip smut over sprouted buds at lower portion of sugarcane plant(s). These lines are being rejected. When the healthy canes, from infected stool, were used (as experiment) to raise plant crop, were not having any disease at all throughout it life cycle. This makes much confusion. Whether we are wasting our valuable material or disease can appear in future over these lines?
Perhaps the cane portions you used for propagation weren't infected yet in their terminal meristem, in spite of infections in lower buds? Resistance would not be expected to be acquired; there's no genetic diversification in vegetative growth (other than occasional mutations). Did you have a control group (propagation from uninfected neighboring plants, raised side-by-side with the experimental)?
Thanks, Stanton de Riel... Yes, we had control group side by side. According to Dr. Jack Comstock, Research Leader, USDA-ARS Sugarcane Field Station Canal Point, Florida:
"The stalks that have whips at the lower part of the stalk had lateral buds that were infected earlier in the season by windblown smut spores. The fungus is still probably localized with only the meristem of the individual bud infected. For some reason the apical dominance was broken and the bud germinated. Since it was infected a whip was produced. This particular clone (genotype is smut susceptible). Other stalks in the same stool may have not been infected; thus, if planted they will produce healthy plants without whips "
I am sure he is right.
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