Traits In Sorghum Research Articles

Estimation of Combining Ability, Gene Action and Components of Genetic Variation in Forage Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.)

Aims: To Study the combining ability effects and evaluate the genetics of the parents for fodder yield and its component traits in sorghum.
 Study Design: Randomized block design.
 Place and Duration of Study: The seeds of F1 hybrids were produced during summer 2022 at Center for Millets Research, S. D. Agricultural University, Deesa.
 Methodology: Six parental genotypes were used in the experiment, which produced 15 half-diallel crosses in sorghum.
 Results: The analysis of variance for combining-ability (CA) studies revealed that mean sum of squares due to general combining ability (GCA) were important for most of the characters except the leaf length of blade. Based on the gca effect, the parents CSV 46, IS 3338 and Malwan were good general combiners for green and dry fodder yield per plant. The unit slope of regression line and non- significant t2 value asserted the validity of the additive-dominance model for total plant height, number of leaf per plant, stem diameter, leaf length of blade, leaf width of blade, dry fodder yield per plant and crude protein content in dry fodder. The value of H1 was superior to H2 for most of the characters representing that gene distribution frequency in the parent genotypes was asymmetry and that was supported by the ratio of H2/4H1 (i.e., less than 0.25). The KD/KR components value was greater than one among most of the traits except for number of leaf per plant and crude protein content in dry fodder showed that parents had more dominant genes compared to recessive genes frequency.
 Conclusion: The ratio of σ2gca/σ2sca being more than unity, which suggested greater role of additive genetic variance in the inheritance of these traits. The genetic components of variance and graphical analysis revealed that different type of gene action were involved for forage yield and components traits in sorghum.

Genetic variability, heritability, and genetic advance for quantitative traits of sorghum [Sorghum Bicolor (L.) Moench] genotypes at Fedis, Eastern Ethiopia

Sorghum is the second most important food crop after teff in Ethiopia. The objective of the study was to estimate the genetic variations, heritability, and expected genetic advances in the selected sorghum genotypes. Sixty-four sorghum genotypes were evaluated for 17 quantitative traits in 8x8 simple lattice designs at the Boko research site. The analysis of variance revealed highly significant differences among genotypes for all traits. The Phenotypic Coefficient Of Variation (PCV) ranged from 4.74% for days to flowering to 24.74% for panicle width, while Genotypic Coefficients Of Variation (GCV) ranged from 3.58% for leaf length to 20.33 % for panicle width. The highest PCV and GCV values were recorded for panicle width, head weight, and harvest index. Moderate PCV and GCV were recorded for grain filling period, grain filling rate, plant height, panicle length, and grain yield; indicating the effectiveness of selection based on the phenotypic performance of the genotypes. Broad sense heritability (H2) ranged from 24.74 % for biomass yield to 96.6% for head weight, whereas GAM ranged from 4.8% for biomass yield to 41.95% for panicle width. High H2 coupled with high GAM was observed for grain filling rate, panicle length, panicle width, head weight, grain yield, and harvest index; indicating that these characters are controlled by additive gene action and phenotypic selection for these characters will be effective. However, the information generated in the current study it can be useful for breeders who want to improve yield and yield contributing traits of sorghum.

Multivariate analysis of root system architectural traits of sorghum for drought tolerance

Multivariate analysis of root system architectural traits of sorghum for drought tolerance

Accelerating gene discovery in climate‐resilient and nutrient‐rich major and minor millets through genome‐wide association studies: Progress and prospects

AbstractMillets are known for their resilience and nutritional benefits and hence believed to have a promising role in ensuring food and nutritional security under changing climatic conditions. Research on millets has intensified in recent years, especially in dissecting the genetic components of yield, stress tolerance and nutritional quality traits. Recent advances in next‐generation sequencing, bioinformatics and associated statistical procedures for genome‐wide association studies (GWAS) have provided wide opportunities to resolve the genetic complexity of polygenic traits by measuring historical and evolutionary recombination events in the natural population(s). During the past decade, GWAS has been successfully employed to identify key genes controlling growth, development, stress tolerance, nutrient use efficiency and nutritional quality traits in sorghum, pearl millet, foxtail millet and finger millet. However, progress in other minor millets is still in its infancy. Genetic dissection of these complex traits in millets may pave the way for genetic alteration of climate resilience, photosynthesis and nutrient accumulation in rice and wheat. In this review, progress in GWAS analysis in detecting QTLs underlying complex traits in sorghum and other millets is highlighted.

Detection of reproducible QTL associated with bioenergy traits in sorghum across several growing environments

Detection of reproducible QTL associated with bioenergy traits in sorghum across several growing environments

Analysis of the Changes in Morphological Traits of Sorghum in Legume-Sorghum Intercropping Patterns in Western Kenya

Cereal-legumes intercropping is among the most effective agronomic strategies to boot biomass production, contribute to soil nitrogen through fixation which benefits soil productivity and sustainability. The main objective of this study was to analyze the changes in morphological traits of sorghum in legume-sorghum intercropping patterns. The experiment was conducted at KALRO Kibos station, Kisumu during long and short rainy 2020 seasons. The experimental design was randomized complete block design (RCBD) with eleven treatments replicated thrice. Data was collected on growth and yield parameters of sorghum, cowpea and soybean. Sorghum morphological traits measured were plant height, number of leaves and number of tillers, while yield data was measured on grain yield and yield components. In addition, data on competition indices was also determined using land equivalent ratio (LER) and area time equivalent ratio (ATER). Data collected was compiled and tabulated for statistical analysis using Microsoft excel software. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was carried out using R software version 4.2.2. Where means were significant, Tukey’s test ad hoc method was used separate treatment means at 95% probability level. The results showed that sorghum morphological traits differed significantly (P<0.001) in the two seasons as influenced by intercropping. The greatest plant height was recorded in sorghum in alternate holes with soybean across the four months, while the highest plant height of 226.3 cm and 219.70 cm was recorded in seasons one and two respectively in 120 Days after planting (DAP). Similar results were recorded in sorghum number of leaves and tillers. Yield data showed that means of number of harvested heads, weight of harvested heads, and grain weight were statistically significant at p<0.001. Sorghum in alternate rows with soybean registered the maximum number of harvested heads: 21.33 and 19.67 seasons one and two respectively. Similar results were obtained .....

Analysis of the Changes in Morphological Traits of Sorghum in Legume-Sorghum Intercropping Patterns in Western Kenya

Cereal-legumes intercropping is among the most effective agronomic strategies to boot biomass production, contribute to soil nitrogen through fixation which benefits soil productivity and sustainability. The main objective of this study was to analyze the changes in morphological traits of sorghum in legume-sorghum intercropping patterns. The experiment was conducted at KALRO Kibos station, Kisumu during long and short rainy 2020 seasons. The experimental design was randomized complete block design (RCBD) with eleven treatments replicated thrice. Data was collected on growth and yield parameters of sorghum, cowpea and soybean. Sorghum morphological traits measured were plant height, number of leaves and number of tillers, while yield data was measured on grain yield and yield components. In addition, data on competition indices was also determined using land equivalent ratio (LER) and area time equivalent ratio (ATER). Data collected was compiled and tabulated for statistical analysis using Microsoft excel software. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was carried out using R software version 4.2.2. Where means were significant, Tukey’s test ad hoc method was used separate treatment means at 95% probability level. The results showed that sorghum morphological traits differed significantly (P<0.001) in the two seasons as influenced by intercropping. The greatest plant height was recorded in sorghum in alternate holes with soybean across the four months, while the highest plant height of 226.3 cm and 219.70 cm was recorded in seasons one and two respectively in 120 Days after planting (DAP). Similar results were recorded in sorghum number of leaves and tillers. Yield data showed that means of number of harvested heads, weight of harvested heads, and grain weight were statistically significant at p<0.001. Sorghum in alternate rows with soybean registered the maximum number of harvested heads: 21.33 and 19.67 seasons one and two respectively. Similar results were obtained in ..

Genotype Selection for Grain Yield of Sorghum through Generalized Linear Mixed Model

The classical model only provides a correct analysis if all the effects are fixed. For experiments that include fixed and random effects, the general linear mixed model is appropriate for handling the non-normal distributed response variables. The aim of this study is to perform the genotype selection through a generalized linear mixed model and identify the impact of treatment and the related traits on grain yield. The data were collected using a lattice square design and measured the phenotype traits of sorghum. The result of PCA was used as an input variable for the general linear mixed model. The data analysis was performed using a general linear mixed model with maximum likelihood methods to estimate the parameters of the model. The result showed that the grain yield had a gamma distribution and a treatment effect on grain yield. The first principal component was significant for grain yield. The variability of grain yield due to the random effects of replication within treatment, genotype, and the interaction of genotype by treatment were significant. The best genotypes effective for the mass production of sorghum were G137, G66 and G156 under stress conditions and G55, G41 and G78 under irrigated conditions. Overall, genotype selection using a general linear mixed model for grain yield is recommended for genotype selection of plant breeding.

Variation in mitogenome structural conformation in wild and cultivated lineages of sorghum corresponds with domestication history and plastome evolution

BackgroundMitochondria are organelles within eukaryotic cells that are central to the metabolic processes of cellular respiration and ATP production. However, the evolution of mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) in plants is virtually unknown compared to animal mitogenomes or plant plastids, due to complex structural variation and long stretches of repetitive DNA making accurate genome assembly more challenging. Comparing the structural and sequence differences of organellar genomes within and between sorghum species is an essential step in understanding evolutionary processes such as organellar sequence transfer to the nuclear genome as well as improving agronomic traits in sorghum related to cellular metabolism.ResultsHere, we assembled seven sorghum mitochondrial and plastid genomes and resolved reticulated mitogenome structures with multilinked relationships that could be grouped into three structural conformations that differ in the content of repeats and genes by contig. The grouping of these mitogenome structural types reflects the two domestication events for sorghum in east and west Africa.ConclusionsWe report seven mitogenomes of sorghum from different cultivars and wild sources. The assembly method used here will be helpful in resolving complex genomic structures in other plant species. Our findings give new insights into the structure of sorghum mitogenomes that provides an important foundation for future research into the improvement of sorghum traits related to cellular respiration, cytonuclear incompatibly, and disease resistance.

ВЛИЯНИЕ ТИПА СТЕРИЛЬНОЙ ЦИТОПЛАЗМЫ НА СЕЛЕКЦИОННО-ЦЕННЫЕ ПРИЗНАКИ ГИБРИДОВ F1 СОРГО В РАЗЛИЧНЫХ ПО ВЛАГООБЕСПЕЧЕННОСТИ УСЛОВИЯХ

Some researchers have found the influence of sterile cytoplasm on the manifestation of biological and valuable breeding traits in sorghum. In addition, some authors detect the influence of sterile cytoplasm, while others describe the absence of differences between F1 hybrids obtained from CMS lines with the same nuclear genome and differing only in the type of sterile cytoplasm. In this context, the aim of the research was to determine the effect of sterile cytoplasms A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6 and meteorological conditions of growing F1 hybrids of grain sorghum on the main valuable breeding traits. In this work, F1 hybrids were obtained on the basis of CMS lines with the Karlik 4v genome and six types of sterile cytoplasm, and the Vostorg line was used as a pollinator. The studies were carried out in 2016–2018, with different hydrothermal regimes of plant growing seasons (GTK=0.51–1.01). As a result of the experiment, for the first time an increase in plant height during maturation was found in the A5 Karlik 4v/Vostorg hybrid (123.3 cm) compared to hybrids on cytoplasms A1, A2, A3, A4, A6 (118.0 cm); a decrease in the flag leaf area was found in the A3 Karlik 4v/ hybrid (104.4 cm2) compared to hybrids on cytoplasms A2, A4, A5 and A6 (130.3–136.3 cm2). On average, during the test period, hybrids on A1 and A5 cytoplasms produced a higher biomass yield (18.53–18.57 t/ha) than hybrids on A4 and A6 cytoplasms (13.76–15.91 t/ha), but the differences were not significant. At the same time, the contribution of the factor “CMS type” to the totalvariability of breeding traits ranged from 1.4 to 14.0%; “meteorological conditions” of the year – 24.0–58.9%. When breeding sorghum hybrids using genetically different types of sterile cytoplasm, it is advisable to include a CMS line on the A5 cytoplasm in the crossing according to the complex of breeding characteristics.

Genetic control of morphological traits useful for improving sorghum.

Global climate change and global warming, coupled with the growing population, have raised concerns about sustainable food supply and bioenergy demand. Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] ranks fifth among cereals produced worldwide; it is a C4 crop with a higher stress tolerance than other major cereals and has a wide range of uses, such as grains, forage, and biomass. Therefore, sorghum has attracted attention as a promising crop for achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs). In addition, sorghum is a suitable genetic model for C4 grasses because of its high morphological diversity and relatively small genome size compared to other C4 grasses. Although sorghum breeding and genetic studies have lagged compared to other crops such as rice and maize, recent advances in research have identified several genes and many quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that control important agronomic traits in sorghum. This review outlines traits and genetic information with a focus on morphogenetic aspects that may be useful in sorghum breeding for grain and biomass utilization.

Genomic prediction of hybrid performance for agronomic traits in sorghum.

Hybrid breeding in sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] utilizes the cytoplasmic-nuclear male sterility (CMS) system for seed production and subsequently harnesses heterosis. Since the cost of developing and evaluating inbred and hybrid lines in the CMS system is costly and time-consuming, genomic prediction of parental lines and hybrids is based on genetic data genotype. We generated 602 hybrids by crossing two female (A) lines with 301 diverse and elite male (R) lines from the sorghum association panel and collected phenotypic data for agronomic traits over two years. We genotyped the inbred parents using whole genome resequencing and used 2,687,342 high quality (minor allele frequency > 2%) single nucleotide polymorphisms for genomic prediction. For grain yield, the experimental hybrids exhibited an average mid-parent heterosis of 40%. Genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP) for hybrid performance yielded an average prediction accuracy of 0.76-0.93 under the prediction scenario where both parental lines in validation sets were included in the training sets (T2). However, when only female tester was shared between training and validation sets (T1F), prediction accuracies declined by 12-90%, with plant height showing the greatest decline. Mean accuracies for predicting the general combining ability of male parents ranged from 0.33 to 0.62 for all traits. Our results showed hybrid performance for agronomic traits can be predicted with high accuracy, and optimizing genomic relationship is essential for optimal training population design for genomic selection in sorghum breeding.

STAY GREEN GENES FRAGMENT HOMOLOGY ANALYSIS OF INDONESIAN SORGHUM

Stay-green (SGR) is an essential trait in sorghum associated with grain yield under drought and high-temperature stress conditions. The study sought to analyze the homology of the stay-green gene fragment in Indonesian sorghum cultivars, comparing it with the SGR gene sequences in the GenBank database. Two primer pairs, designated as SGR_1 and SGR_2, got designed from the SGR gene of Sorghum bicolor and used to amplify seven sorghum genotypes. The DNA fragments of 300 bp and 1000 bp produced by SGR_1 and SGR_2, respectively, underwent sequencing. Amino acid analysis of the seven sorghum genotypes resulted in high homology with senescence-inducible chloroplast SGR-protein 1 from Zea mays and SGR-chloroplastic of Setaria italica. An observation on a conservative region with the SGR domain noticed SGR genes, derived from sorghum genotypes, clustered separately with those from other SGR genes available in the GenBank database. The first group consisted of a sorghum genotype (Samurai 2), the second group consisted of Super 2, Numbu, and Kawali, while the third group consisted of PI-150-20-A, Pahat, and B69 with coefficient similarity of 10%, 14%, and 30%, respectively. Although Indonesian sorghum has a different group in GenBank, it has similar nucleotide and amino acid sequences, with identity values of 95%-100% and 51%-100%, respectively. The amino acid diversity of the DNA fragments of the SGR gene is highly potential to develop molecular markers, especially the stay green character. The finding will support a sorghum breeding efficiently and precisely, especially for yield improvement under drought-stress conditions.

Genome-wide analyses using multi-locus models revealed marker-trait associations for major agronomic traits in Sorghum bicolor.

Globally, sorghum is the fifth most important cereal crop, and it is a major crop in Ethiopia, where it has a high genetic diversity. The country’s sorghum gene pool contributes significantly to sorghum improvement worldwide. This study aimed to identify genomic regions and candidate genes associated with major agronomic traits in sorghum by using its genetic resources in Ethiopia for a genome-wide association study (GWAS). Phenotypic data of days to flowering (DTF), plant height (PH), panicle length (PALH), panicle width (PAWD), panicle weight (PAWT), and grain yield (GY) were collected from a GWAS panel comprising 324 sorghum accessions grown in three environments. SeqSNP, a targeted genotyping method, was used to genotype the panel using 5,000 gene-based single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. For marker-trait association (MTA) analyses, fixed and random model circulating probability unification (FarmCPU), and Bayesian-information and linkage-disequilibrium iteratively nested keyway (BLINK) models were used. In all traits, high phenotypic variation was observed, with broad-sense heritability ranging from 0.32 (for GY) to 0.90 (for PALH). A population structure, principal component analysis, and kinship analysis revealed that the accessions could be divided into two groups. In total, 54 MTAs were identified, 11 of which were detected by both BLINK and farmCPU. MTAs identified for each trait ranged from five (PAWT and GY) to fourteen (PH) representing both novel and previously identified quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Three SNPs were associated with more than one trait, including a SNP within the Sobic.004G189200 gene that was associated with PH and PAWT. Major effect SNP loci, Sbi2393610 (PVE = 23.3%), Sbi10438246 (PVE = 35.2%), Sbi17789352 (PVE = 11.9%) and Sbi30169733 (PVE = 18.9%) on chromosomes 1, 3, 5 and 9 that showed strong association signals for PAWD, DTF, GY and PALH, respectively, were major findings of this study. The SNP markers and candidate genes identified in this study provide insights into the genetic control of grain yield and related agronomic traits, and once validated, the markers could be used in genomics-led breeding.

Characterization of a foxtail mosaic virus vector for gene silencing and analysis of innate immune responses in Sorghum bicolor.

Sorghum is vulnerable to many biotic and abiotic stresses, which cause considerable yield losses globally. Efforts to genetically characterize beneficial sorghum traits, including disease resistance, plant architecture, and tolerance to abiotic stresses, are ongoing. One challenge faced by sorghum researchers is its recalcitrance to transformation, which has slowed gene validation efforts and utilization for cultivar development. Here, we characterize the use of a foxtail mosaic virus (FoMV) vector for virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) by targeting two previously tested marker genes: phytoene desaturase (PDS) and ubiquitin (Ub). We additionally demonstrate VIGS of a subgroup of receptor-like cytoplasmic kinases (RLCKs) and report the role of these genes as positive regulators of early defence signalling. Silencing of subgroup 8 RLCKs also resulted in higher susceptibility to the bacterial pathogens Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae (B728a) and Xanthomonas vasicola pv. holcicola, demonstrating the role of these genes in host defence against bacterial pathogens. Together, this work highlights the utility of FoMV-induced gene silencing in the characterization of genes mediating defence responses in sorghum. Moreover, FoMV was able to systemically infect six diverse sorghum genotypes with high efficiency at optimal temperatures for sorghum growth and therefore could be extrapolated to study additional traits of economic importance.

Identification of QTLs associated with multiple agronomic traits in Sorghum

Identification of QTLs associated with multiple agronomic traits in Sorghum

Determination of Yield and Quality Traits of Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) Cultivars as Second Crop in Tokat Conditions

Verimli bir hayvancılık için Türkiye’de yem bitkilerinin veriminin arttırılması gerekmektedir. Bu nedenle farklı silajlık bitkilerin, farklı ekolojik koşullardaki verimleri üzerine gerçekleştirilecek olan çalışmalarla verimlerinin önceden belirlenmesi oldukça önemlidir. Bu çalışmanın amacı Tokat koşullarında ikinci ürün olarak yetiştirilebilecek Roxy, Jumbo, Digestivo, Fito15280 ve Fito26250 silajlık sorgum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) çeşitlerinin bazı verim ve tarımsal özelliklerinin yanında silaj kalite özelliklerinin belirlenmesidir. Araştırma Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa Üniversitesi Tarımsal Araştırma ve Uygulama Merkezi’nde yer alan deneme alanlarında gerçekleştirilmiştir. Bitki materyallerinin ekimi deneme tesadüf blokları deneme desenine göre üç tekerrürlü olarak gerçekleştirilmiştir. Tokat şartlarında seçilen çeşitlerin verim ve verim unsurlarını belirlemek için bitki boyu, yaş ot ve kuru madde verimi, tek bitki ağırlığı, ham protein oranı, asit deterjan lif oranı ve nötral deterjan lif oranları ortaya çıkarılmıştır. Çalışmada analiz edilen tüm parametrelere ait veriler istatistiki olarak önemli bulunmuştur. Elde edilen verilere göre Jumbo çeşidi 281.7 cm ile en yüksek bitki boyuna Rox 215.0 cm ile en düşük bitki boyuna sahip iken Fito 26250 çeşidinin 1661.5 kg/da ile en yüksek kuru madde verimine, Rox çeşidinin ise 963.8 kg/da ile en düşük kuru madde verimine sahip olduğu ortaya çıkarılmıştır. Çeşitlere ait ham protein oranlarının %13.0-8.3, yaş ot verimlerinin 7273.8-4653.3 kg/da, tek bitki ağırlıklarının 457-343 g, asit deterjan lif oranlarının %47.1-36.4 ve nötral deterjan lif oranlarının ise %71.4-60.0 arasında değişiklik gösterdiği tespit edilmiştir. Elde edilen sonuçlara göre Kazova bölgesine ait ekolojik koşullarda Digestive, Fito 15280 çeşitlerinin kuru madde verimi açısından, Digestivo ve Jumbo çeşitlerinin ham protein oranı açısından yüksek performans ortaya konduğu tespit edilmiştir.

Diagnostic Appraisal of the Sorghum Farming System and Breeding Priorities in Sierra Leone

Understanding demographic structures, production constraints, and trait preferences is essential for setting up crop breeding goals and enhancing adoption strategies for new varieties. The objective of this study was to document the sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) production constraints and preferred sorghum traits to guide breeding in Sierra Leone. A participatory rural appraisal was used to collect data from 210 farmers across seven districts in Sierra Leone in 2019. Results showed that all sorghum varieties in cultivation are landraces. Poor access to fertilizer (91%), lack of suitable varieties (85%), poor agronomic knowledge (79%), low yielding varieties (78%), storage pests (75%), field pests (67%), low soil fertility (52%), lack of market (49%), sorghum disease (43%), drought (16%), and heavy rainfall (12%) are key production constraints limiting sorghum production. Farmers expressed interest in adopting new varieties with high yield (99%), disease (84%) and pest (81%) resistance, drought tolerance (50%), white grain (59%), and short height (53%). The prioritized traits will form the basis for farmer-oriented sorghum breeding.

Mutation induced phenotypic variation for yield traits in Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench

Sorghum is an important cereal crop, cultivated both in the kharif and rabi seasons. Especially rabi sorghum is known for its grain quality and is used exclusively for human consumption. The present study was undertaken to induce variability through physical and chemical mutagens for morphological and yield-contributing traits. A popular rabi sorghum variety, Parbhani Moti was initially irradiated with gamma rays (100-400 Gy), ethyl methane sulphonate (0.1- 0.4% EMS) and their combinations.  Based on the univariate analysis, mutants with early flowering (63days), mid tall (90 cm) and long panicles (21 cm) were identified across various mutagenic treatments in the M2 generation. Gamma ray and EMS combined treatment showed the highest grain yield (85 g/plant) with high SPAD values compared to the parent. A high heritability value of 74.6 % was observed for grain yield with genetic advances ranging from 1.22-19.96% across different treatments. Significant positive correlations between SPAD values and grain yield and panicle length were observed. Cluster analysis based on Euclidean distance grouped all the mutants into four clusters with those derived from gamma rays (400Gy) emerging as highly diverse. Promising mutants identified in this study would serve as genetic resources for recombination breeding. Keywords: EMS, Grain yield, Gamma rays, Genetic variability, Induced mutations  

DOMINANT AWN INHIBITOR Encodes the ALOG Protein Originating from Gene Duplication and Inhibits AWN Elongation by Suppressing Cell Proliferation and Elongation in Sorghum.

The awn, a needle-like structure extending from the tip of the lemma in grass species, plays a role in environmental adaptation and fitness. In some crops, awns appear to have been eliminated during domestication. Although numerous genes involved in awn development have been identified, several dominant genes that eliminate awns are also known to exist. For example, in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), the dominant awn-inhibiting gene has been known since 1921; however, its molecular features remain uncharacterized. In this study, we conducted quantitative trait locus analysis and a genome-wide association study of awn-related traits in sorghum and identified DOMINANT AWN INHIBITOR (DAI), which encodes the ALOG family protein on chromosome 3. DAI appeared to be present in most awnless sorghum cultivars, likely because of its effectiveness. Detailed analysis of the ALOG protein family in cereals revealed that DAI originated from a duplication of its twin paralog (DAIori) on chromosome 10. Observations of immature awns in near-isogenic lines revealed that DAI inhibits awn elongation by suppressing both cell proliferation and elongation. We also found that only DAI gained a novel function to inhibit awn elongation through an awn-specific expression pattern distinct from that of DAIori. Interestingly, heterologous expression of DAI with its own promoter in rice inhibited awn elongation in the awned cultivar Kasalath. We found that DAI originated from gene duplication, providing an interesting example of gain-of-function that occurs only in sorghum but shares its functionality with rice and sorghum.