Pennisetum typhoides

Listed in Lenne (1990) as occurring on Pennisetum typhoides (Burm. F.) Stapf and CE Hubbard from India, based on records at IMI. 

Shinde PA, Bhide VP. Ergot of Bajra (Pennisetum typhoides) in Bombay state. Curr Sci (India) 12 499-500, 1958. 

Siddiqui MR, Khan ID. Renaming Claviceps microcephala ergot fungus on Pennisetum typhoides in India as Claviceps fusiformis. Trans Mycol Soc Japan 14 195-198, 1973. 

Thakur DP, Kanwar ZS. Ability of naturally incident, Claviceps microcephala from Panicum antidotale to produce ergot symptoms in Pennisetum typhoides. Indian J Agric Sci 48 540-542, 1978. 

Plant tissue culture technique provides completely controlled conditions to elucidate the growth and physiology of the cells and to study host-parasite interactions at the cellular level. There exists probably single paper on this interesting technique in ergot research on cultivation of C. fusiformis on a Pennisetum typhoides cell culture. The authors (Roy and Kumar, 1985) established the methodology and studied nutritional demands of the mixed culture with respect to the growth and alkaloid production. 

Roy, S. and Kumar, A. (1985) Production of alkaloids by ergot (Claviceps fusiformis Lov.) on Pennisetum typhoides (Burm.) Stapf and Hubb. in vitro. Neuman, K.H. and Bart, W. (eds.) Primary and Secondary Metabolism of Plant Cell Cultures. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg, pp. 117-123. 

The sclerotia contain ergoline alkaloids, mainly dihydroergosine, but also festuclavine, dihydroelymoclavine, and chanoclavine (total alkaloid 0.2-0.5%) (Frederickson et al., 1991). In cross-inoculation studies, Futrell and Webster (1966) demonstrated that conidia of C. africana from sorghum could infect Zea mays L. and Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br. ( = P. typhoides (Burm.) Stapf and C. E. Hubb.), and suggested that P. glaucum could represent a source of inoculum for Sorghum. 

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