The Use of Tissue Blots to Screen for Varietal Resistance to Ratoon Stunting Disease of Sugarcane

No trials are currently conducted at SASEX to screen genotypes for resistance to ratoon stunting disease (RSD), a disease that is well established in most sugarcane growing regions of the world and considered to cause more yield losses worldwide than any other sugarcane disease. In South Africa, field trials have demonstrated that yield reductions under rainfed conditions can be as high as 40% in highly susceptible varieties (Bailey and Bechet, 1986). When cane is grown under irrigation, yield losses are less noticeable but still significant in many varieties (Bailey and Bechet, 1995). It is estimated that RSD currently results in a 1% reduction in industrial production in South Africa and between 10 and 20% in other African countries where South African varieties are grown (Bailey and McFarlane, 1999).