Bioscience Evidence 2025, Vol.15, No.6, 270-279 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/be 275 6 Comprehensive Molecular and Breeding Strategies to Enhance Sorghum Resistance to Anthracnose: Case Analysis 6.1 Case background Sorghum anthracnose (Colletotrichum sublineola) is one of the significant issues affecting global sorghum production, especially in warm and humid regions where the reduction in production is very obvious. The effects of traditional prevention and control methods are unstable, so the use of disease-resistant varieties has always been regarded as the most economical and sustainable approach. In recent years, with the development of molecular genetics and genomics, more disease-resistant genes have been discovered, which has also promoted the molecular breeding of anthracnose resistant sorghum (Lemu et al., 2021). 6.2 Discovery of resistance sites Researchers used methods such as GWAS, linkage mapping and population genetics to identify multiple QTLS and resistance genes related to anthracnose resistance in many different sorghum germplasms. For example, NLR genes such as ARG4 and ARG5 have been identified in various materials, and most of them can provide broad-spectrum resistance (Cruet-Burgos et al., 2020; Cuevas et al., 2023; Habte et al., 2023). Further studies have found that these resistance genes are often concentrated in regions such as chromosome 5 and 9, and there are abundant allelic variations and copy number differences. These variations provide more options for breeding (Birhanu et al., 2024). 6.3 Transcriptomic insights Transcriptome studies have shown that resistant sorghum will re-regulate many genes in the early stage of pathogen infection. Immune receptors, MAPK pathways, WRKy-like transcription factors, and genes related to secondary metabolism will all be rapidly activated. In addition, many NLR genes, antifungal related kinases and stress proteins are also significantly upregulated. Meanwhile, the small RNA network is also involved in regulating resistance (Fu et al., 2020; Zhang et al., 2025). Some physical barrier genes (such as those regulating epidermal wax) are also elevated, making it more difficult for pathogens to break through the plant surface (Xiong et al., 2023). 6.4 Application of molecular-assisted breeding Based on the identified QTLS and candidate genes, researchers have developed a variety of molecular markers such as SNPS, SSRS, and AFLP for MAS and gene aggregation. These tools can significantly improve breeding efficiency and also help combine multiple resistance genes into the same material (Lemu et al., 2021; Habte et al., 2023). With the popularization of genome-wide selection technology and high-throughput typing tools, the speed of seeking resistance resources and utilizing these resources is also getting faster and faster (Birhanu et al., 2024). 6.5 Experience summary The outcome of this case indicates that integrating molecular genetics, genomics and traditional breeding can significantly enhance sorghum's resistance to anthracnose. The aggregation of polyclonal resistance genes, the use of molecular markers, and the application of transcriptome data all provide reliable support for the improvement of disease-resistant varieties. However, the pathogenic bacteria themselves can change, and environmental factors can also affect the resistance effect. Therefore, the breeding work still needs to be constantly updated and evaluated, and verified at multiple locations. In the future, it is still necessary to continue to explore new resistance resources and conduct more systematic research on resistance mechanisms (Mekonen et al., 2025). 7 Frontier Technologies and Future Directions of Molecular Defense Mechanisms against Major Sorghum Diseases 7.1 Genomics and pan-genomics The genomic sequencing of sorghum and major pathogenic bacteria has enabled us to have a clearer understanding of the disease resistance mechanism. Since the release of the sorghum reference genome in 2009, the genomes of different sorghum genotypes and some pathogenic bacteria (including the anthrax pathogen Colletotrichum sublineola) have also been sequenced successively. This provides a basis for the discovery of
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQ4ODYzNA==