Location: Grain Quality and Structure Research
Project Number: 3020-30600-002-028-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 1, 2026
End Date: Aug 31, 2028
Objective:
This project advances USDA priorities by developing resilient, high-quality sorghum germplasm through evaluation, selection, and genetic characterization under resource-limited agricultural conditions. F7 recombinant inbred lines will be evaluated under dryland environments to identify genotypes with superior drought adaptation and agronomic performance. Yield components and key nutritional and phytochemical quality traits—including phenolic acids, 3-deoxyanthocyanidins, and total flavonoids—from leaf, sheath, and grain tissues will be quantified to support USDA efforts to enhance grain quality and market value. High-performing parental lines will be used to develop potential hybrids, which will be tested across multiple dryland locations to assess yield stability and ensure regional adaptability. Large-scale seed production of top hybrid candidates will accelerate deployment and support farmer access to improved varieties. Finally, the project will develop and validate QTL markers associated with priority quality traits, strengthening USDA breeding pipelines and enabling more efficient selection of enhanced sorghum cultivars for U.S. producers.
Approach:
Evaluate 450 recombinant inbred sorghum specialty lines along with three parents (RTx430, KS19 and SC84) under dryland in summer at ARCH, Kansas. A total of 50 potential lines will be selected based on the desirable agronomic characters (days to flowering, plant height number of leaves, biomass (leaf and leaf sheath) and grain yield) and quality traits (phenolic acids, 3DAs, and total flavonoids). Leaf and leaf sheath samples will be collected at two growing (grain filling and harvesting) stages. The quality traits will be performed at the Grain Quality and Structure Research Unit, USDA-ARS, Manhattan Kanas. Hybrid development will be performed in the winter nursery (Moreno Retis gustavo@morenoretis.com, Puerto. Vallarta, Mexico).
Simultaneously genotypic data will be generated: DNA from the developed RILs will be genotyped using genotyping by sequencing (GBS) and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) molecular markers will be developed. Genotypic data will be integrated with the phenotypic data and QTL marker(s) associated with each agronomic and specialty trait will be developed and validated.