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Research Project: Novel Weed Management Tools from Natural Product-Based Discoveries

Location: Natural Products Utilization Research

Title: Synthesis, function, and genetic variation of sorgoleone, the major biological nitrification inhibitor in sorghum

Author
item OKUMOTO, SAKIKO - Texas A&M University
item MAHARJAN, BAL - Texas A&M University
item RAJAN, NITHYA - Texas A&M University
item XI, JING - Orise Fellow
item Baerson, Scott
item ROONEY, WILLIAM - Texas A&M University
item ODENY, DAMARIS - International Crops Research Institute For The Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)
item YOSHIHASHI, TADASHI - Japanese International Research Center For Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) - Japan
item VERMAAS, JOSH - Michigan State University
item SUBBARAO, GUNTUR - Japanese International Research Center For Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) - Japan

Submitted to: Crop Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/24/2025
Publication Date: 5/14/2025
Citation: Okumoto, S., Maharjan, B., Rajan, N., Xi, J., Baerson, S.R., Rooney, W.L., Odeny, D.A., Yoshihashi, T., Vermaas, J.V., Subbarao, G.V. 2025. Synthesis, function, and genetic variation of sorgoleone, the major biological nitrification inhibitor in sorghum. Crop Science. 65 (3): e70066. https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.70066.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.70066

Interpretive Summary: Greenhouse gas emissions represent a significant threat to our future, and a surprisingly large contributor to these emissions are agricultural systems. Soil microorganisms associated with agricultural ecosystems have the ability to generate the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide through a biochemical process that also depletes the soil of much needed mineral nitrogen. To combat this process, some plants appear to have evolved mechanisms involving the release of microbial biological nitrification inhibitors (BNI). Sorghum bicolor plants release the compound sorgoleone into soils which appears to possess significant BNI activity. This article reviews the current state of knowledge concerning the biological roles, synthesis and possible mechanisms through which sorgoleone plays a role in the inhibition of biological nitrification by soil microorganisms.

Technical Abstract: Agricultural systems represent a major source for environmental greenhouse gas release, and nitrous oxide (N2O) represents one of the most prevalent emissions. The primary biological processes involved in the release of nitrous oxide from farmlands are nitrification and denitrification. Specific plant species can release nitrification inhibitors from their root systems into the surrounding soil, thus suppressing microbial-based soil nitrification, which causes increased N2O emissions and reduced nitrogen availability in soils. Sorghum bicolor is one of the major crop species which has been identified as possessing high biological nitrification inhibitory (BNI) activity, and the principal metabolite associated with this activity has been identified as the phenolic lipid sorgoleone, which is actively exuded from root systems of members of the genus Sorghum. Here we present the current state of knowledge concerning the biological activity, biosynthesis and secretion of sorgoleone, and also review proposed mechanisms involving sorgoleone’s ability to interfere with biological nitrification processes performed by soil microorganisms.