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ARS Home » Plains Area » College Station, Texas » Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center » Crop Germplasm Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #337097
Title: Identification of quantitative trait loci for popping traits and kernel characteristics in sorghum grain

Author
item PUGH, NICHOLAS - Texas A&M University
item RODRIGUEZ-HERRERA, RAUL - Universidad Autonoma De Coahuila
item Klein, Robert - Bob
item KLEIN, PATRICIA - Texas A&M University
item ROONEY, WILLIAM - Texas A&M University

Submitted to: Crop Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/14/2017
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Popped grain sorghum has developed a niche market among specialty snack food consumers. In contrast to popcorn, popped sorghum grain has not benefited from years of breeding for popping efficiency and for big popped kernels. While recent studies have already demonstrated that popping traits are heritable in sorghum, further genetic studies for these traits could help expedite the development of popped sorghum grain. To provide geneticists in the U.S. with new knowledge of popping traits in grain sorghum, we identified regions of sorghum chromosomes that harbor genes that make the popping of sorghum grain more efficient and produce larger popped kernels. These genetic studies represent success in locating chromosome regions that control popping quality in sorghum grain, which will aid in the development of specialty popping varieties for farmers in the U.S. and worldwide.

Technical Abstract: Popped grain sorghum has developed a niche among specialty snack-food consumers. In contrast to popcorn, sorghum has not benefited from persistent selective breeding for popping efficiency and kernel expansion ratio. While recent studies have already demonstrated that popping characteristics are heritable in sorghum, the discovery of quantitative trait loci for these traits could help expedite and streamline the breeding process. To that end, the objective of this study was to identify regions of the sorghum genome associated with kernel popping traits. Using digital genotyping technology in conjunction with linkage mapping methodology, quantitative trait loci were identified for kernel popping efficiency and for kernel expansion ratio. Additionally, sets of quantitative trait loci were identified for desirable traits including kernel weight, kernel diameter, kernel hardness, and kernel color. These results provide an initial assessment of regions of the sorghum genome that harbor trait loci controlling the popping quality of sorghum kernels, and provides a basis for further detailed genetic studies of this relatively new use for food-grade sorghum grain.