Registration of 11 diverse sorghum germplasm lines for grain and silage hybrid production

Abstract

AbstractGenotypic variance is necessary for trait improvement because limited diversity can reduce genetic gains in crop improvement. To maintain genetic diversity, a wealth of germplasm exists in the USDA‐ARS sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] collection, but most of the accessions are not adapted to temperate climates. To address this issue, the Reinstated Sorghum Conversion program (RSC, ∼2009–2014) converted 155 tropical accessions to combine height and early maturing F3 and BC1F3 families. Here, 11 germplasm lines Tx3429 to Tx3439 (Reg. no. GP‐889, PI 692640 to Reg. no. GP‐899, PI 692650) released by Texas A&M AgriLife Research in 2019 and derived from the RSC program are described. This germplasm was derived from F3, BC1F3, and BC1F4 RSC families that were selected based on testcross hybrid performance for either grain or silage production. Six lines are grain sorghum pollinators, one line is a seed parent, and four lines are silage pollinators. These lines combined agronomic productivity with greater genetic diversity as confirmed via genotyping‐by‐sequencing. These 11 parental germplasms are being released to provide new genetic diversity for forage and grain hybrid improvement programs.