Comparative analysis of the efficacy of selected gametocide agents in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor [L.] Moench)

A new generation of chemical hybridization agents (CHAs) or gametocides has shown potential to induce male sterility in predominantly self-fertilizing crops, including sorghum (Sorghum bicolor [L.] Moench). There is a lack of information on the relative efficacy of the various available CHAs for large-scale application in plant breeding programs. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to compare the relative effectiveness of three selected CHAs to induce male sterility in sorghum under a controlled environment for hybridization. Foliar applications of three CHAs and a control (ethrel, trifluoromethanesulfonamide [TFMSA], ethyl 4-fluorooxanilate [E4FO] and distilled water [control]) were tested using three grain sorghum genotypes (ICS-1, ICS-2 and ICS-3) in two seasons. The 24 treatment combinations consisting of 4 levels of CHAs, 3 sorghum varieties and two seasons were laid out using a randomized complete block design with three replications. Data on pollen sterility, pollen diameter, plant height, and panicle height were collected and analyzed. Results showed that the CHAs had significant (p<0.05) differences for efficacy of inducing male sterility in sorghum. Ethrel at a dose of 1 gl-1 induced the highest pollen sterility (98% in both seasons) but was highly phytotoxic with at least 60% mortality in the test population in both seasons, making it unsuitable for practical application. TFMSA (2 mg per plant) and E4FO (1 gl-1) d induced 93% male sterility with minimal phytotoxic effects (20 to 30%). Application of either TFMSA at 2mg per plant after flag leaf emergence or 1gl-1 of E4FO at panicle initiation can be used to successfully induce male sterility in sorghum under greenhouse conditions