CM Joya1, RP Bertani2, MF Perera1, S Fajre2, JA Giardina2 and AS Noguera2
1Instituto de Tecnología Agroindustrial del Noroeste Argentino (ITANOA), Estación Experimental Agroindustrial Obispo Colombres (EEAOC) – Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Las Talitas, Tucumán, República Argentina; contijoya@gmail.com
2EEAOC, Las Talitas, Tucumán, República Argentina
Most economically significant sugarcane diseases are transmitted by infected planting material during commercial propagation. The production of high-quality planting material and knowledge of crop sanitary conditions are key factors for designing disease-management strategies. The Vitroplants Project of Estación Experimental Agroindustrial Obispo Colombres (EEAOC) aims to provide high phytosanitary quality seed cane through in vitro meristem-culture and micropropagation techniques. This work presents the results of diagnosis over the past five crop seasons to identify systemic sugarcane diseases in Tucumán, Argentina. Meristem donor plants and micropropagated plantlets are evaluated by PCR to detect the causal agents of ratoon stunting (RSD), leaf scald (LS) and red stripe (RS), while RT-PCR protocols are applied for yellow leaf (YL) and mosaic virus (MV). Tissue-blot immunoassay (TBIA) is used to determine the presence of RSD and LS in Registered nurseries. Data on the presence of RSD in commercial fields is also presented. From 2020 to 2024, YL had the highest incidence in both donor plants and in vitro plantlets. In the Registered nurseries, RSD incidence (number of infected stalks/total number of stalks) ranged between 0.13% and 0.89%, while LS incidence ranged from 0.09% to 0.33%. In commercial fields, around 80% of the samples analyzed were appropriate for use as seed cane. Nowadays, 74.5% of Tucumán sugarcane production area is occupied by high-quality seed cane from the EEAOC Vitroplants Project. This technology significantly reduces systemic diseases, leading to increased commercial field yields. The availability of effective and reliable diagnostic methods, from the laboratory to field propagation, is a valuable tool to ensure the absence of pathogens and provide elite plants for local producers.