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ARS Home » Plains Area » College Station, Texas » Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center » Insect Control and Cotton Disease Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #432139
Research Project: Molecular and Genetic Approaches to Manage Cotton and Sorghum Diseases

Location: Insect Control and Cotton Disease Research

Title: Agronomic traits of sorghum cultivars from the US and Senegal and their response to grain mold infection

Author
item Prom, Louis
item Ahn, Ezekiel
item ISAKEIT, THOMAS - Texas A&M University
item MAGILL, CLINT - Texas A&M University

Submitted to: American Journal of Plant Sciences
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/21/2026
Publication Date: 3/24/2026
Citation: Prom, L.K., Ahn, E., Isakeit, T., Magill, C. 2026. Agronomic traits of sorghum cultivars from the US and Senegal and their response to grain mold infection. American Journal of Plant Sciences. 17(3):302-319. https://doi.org/10.4236/ajps.2026.173020.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4236/ajps.2026.173020

Interpretive Summary: Sorghum is commonly used as animal feed, but it also supplies the daily caloric needs of millions of people worldwide. Grain mold, which is comprised of several fungal species, is the most destructive disease of sorghum. Additionally, some of these fungal pathogens also produce toxins, further limiting the use of sorghum as a feed and food source. This work evaluated 24 sorghum lines from the United States and Senegal to identify sorghum lines that are resistant to grain mold and to determine the interrelations among several agronomic traits and grain mold infection and yield. The study identified two lines that may possess genes for grain mold resistance, and revealed several agronomic traits that influence yield. The work is significant because these genes and traits could be incorporated in breeding programs to develop high-yielding sorghum lines and hybrids that are resistant to grain mold.

Technical Abstract: Grain mold, incited by several fungal species is the most destructive sorghum disease, worldwide. In this study, the interrelationships among 9 agronomic traits and gain mold resistance were determined for 24 sorghum lines from the U.S.A. and Senegal, planted in two locations in Senegal, West Africa. The study revealed several negative correlations among many measured agronomic traits and grain mold. Intact-panicle grain mold rating was negatively correlated with yield, 1000-grain weight, grain weight, panicle length, and plant height while threshed grain mold rating was negatively associated with panicle width, plant height, maturity and flowering date. Machine learning techniques were implemented to construct predictive models for grain yield using the collected phenotypic data. The study identified several traits influencing yield and grain mold response. The work also identified two lines PI570841 and Nganda that may possess genes for grain mold resistance with high yield potential. These lines could be utilized in breeding programs to develop resistant lines and hybrids. Also, the work revealed that certain yield-related traits could be useful in selecting lines in sorghum grain mold improvement programs.