Research activities will help sorghum breeders to expand the crop’s potential
Researchers at The University of Queensland are optimistic the value and versatility of one of the world’s top crops will be improved following the discovery of genes that could increase the grain size of sorghum.
The use of the drought-resilient summer crop has been constrained by the small size of sorghum grains, but Professor David Jordan from the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation said that could be about to change.
Sorghum is popular among Australian growers, particularly in Queensland and New South Wales, and the research will help breeders to expand the crop’s potential. The project began six years ago, involving UQ and the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.
QAAFI Research Fellow Dr Yongfu Tao initially mapped the sorghum genome to help identify which genes were associated with grain size, narrowing the search with existing genetic information for rice and maize.
Dr Tao said 125 regions in the sorghum genome had now been identified where variation in the DNA sequence was associated with grain size and response to environmental conditions. The analyses included wild relatives of domesticated sorghum and Australian native sorghum.
The project also delivered additional information and tools to help plant breeders improve sorghum cultivars. The research is published in The Plant Journal. The research was funded by the Australian Research Council, with additional support from the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, the Grains Research and Development Corporation and UQ.
