Sorghum Varieties Research Articles

Specific Gibberellin 2-Oxidase 3 (SbGA2ox3) Mutants Promote Yield and Stress Tolerance in Sorghum bicolor

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is a raw material that can be used as food, feed, bioenergy, and wine; it is also a gramineous crop with drought, salt, waterlogging, and high temperature resistance. However, liquor-making sorghum faces the disadvantages of having a narrow genetic basis, poor resources, and few high-quality varieties. Ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS) is a common alkylating agent that can react with one or more bases to alkylate and cause changes in the molecular structure of DNA, thereby causing mutations. It has a minimum effect on organisms and the highest efficiency. The obtained mutant populations are of great significance for cultivating new plant varieties and enriching plant germplasm resources. Therefore, in this study, ‘Hongyingzi’ a liquor-making sorghum variety, was studied using seeds treated with 0.5% EMS and 415 M3 generation plants were obtained. (1) Investigation and statistical analysis of agronomic traits in mutant libraries showed that in the M3 generation, nine important phenotypic mutant lines were obtained, including plant type, leaf blade, spike, glume, growth period, fertility, plant height, and drought resistance. The variation frequency from high to low was as follows: glume color (75.42%) > spike type (54.70%) > spike shape (47.23%) > chaff coating degree (28%) > plant growth period (23.86%) > plant height (23.61%) > absorption degree (16.14%) > branchiness (10.84%) > leaf color (4.58%) > tillering (2.16%). (2) The PCR sequencing of SbGA2ox3 from 415 sorghum M3 plants revealed that the mutation frequency of SbGA2ox3 was 1/99.02 kb. Eight plants underwent mutations, but only one line experienced missense mutations of different amino acid types, changing Ser/Ala/Val/Leu/Gln/Ser/Pro/Ala to Asn/Thr/Gly/Val/Gln/Ala/Ser. The mutant line also had shorter plant height, reduced glume coating degree, and enhanced drought resistance. The constructions of the sorghum mutant library widened the sorghum germplasm library and provided a method for sorghum breeding with a molecular basis for the functional verification of related genes and the analysis of related regulatory networks.

Analysis of rainfall and temperature variability for agricultural water management in the upper Genale river basin, Ethiopia

A better understanding of climate-induced changes and support for adaptation strategies requires knowledged of the spatiotemporal dynamics of climatic variables. This study aims to assess long-term changes in annual and seasonal rainfall and temperature for agricultural water management in the upper Genale river basin, Ethiopia. To achieve this objective, long-term climate data from 13 stations between 1975 and 2018, as well as maximum and minimum temperatures for six stations were collected from the Ethiopian National Meteorological Service Agency (NMA). The characteristics of rainfall (onset, cessation, length of growing season, and crop water requirement) were assessed using the Coefficient of Variation (CV), Standard Rainfall Anomaly (SRA), and Precipitation Concentration Index (PCI). Additionally, the Mann–Kendall test and Sen's slope estimator were used to assess the trend and magnitude of changes in rainfall and temperature. The annual, winter, spring, summer and autumn CVs were 20%, 89%, 30%, 45%, and 32%, respectively. The standardized anomalies of annual and seasonal rainfall for the climate stations indicated that the basin had a drier season than a wet season. The mean length of the growing season in Belg and Kiremt ranged from 43 to 79 days and 38 to 170 days, respectively. On an annual, summer, and autumn season basis, most rainfall stations showed a non-significant trend. In contrast, in the spring season, rainfall showed a decreasing but statistically insignificant trend in all stations except Bensadaye, Bore, Telamokentise, and Yirba Muda stations. According to the analysis of the crop water requirements in the studied basin, supplemental irrigation is essential to reducing yield reduction and crop failure during spring and autumn. In these seasons, maize and sorghum varieties required supplementary irrigation up to 202 mm and 252 mm, respectively. Annual and seasonal maximum and minimum temperatures showed an increasing trend at all the stations except Hagre Selam station. Generally, there was a spatially and temporally variable trend in rainfall while the temperature trend was increasing irrespective of the temporal and spatial factors. Thus, this study contributes to a better understanding of climate change in the basin and these findings can be used in planning for adaptation measures against a changing climate.

Additive Main Effect and Multiplicative Interaction Analysis for Grain Yield of Early Maturing Sorghum [Sorghum Bicolor (L.) Moench] Varieties in Drought Prone Areas of Temben, North Ethiopia.

Shortage of widely adapted and high yielding variety is one of the major bottlenecks for production and productivity of sorghum in dry lowlands of Tigray region, Northern Ethiopia. A field experiment was conducted during the main seasons of 2018 and 2019 at four environments using randomized complete block design with three replications to evaluate the performance of ten early maturing sorghum varieties for grain yield using AMMI (Additive Main Effects and Multiplicative Interaction) model. The combined analysis of variance revealed highly significant (P≤0.01) genotype (G), environment (E) and genotype × environment interaction (GEI). The significant genotype by environment interaction effects were further partitioned in to two significant interaction principal components by using AMMI model. The AMMI analysis of variance showed that the genotype, environment and interaction sum squares contributed 41.55 %, 28.67 % and 29.78 % to the treatment sum squares for grain yield respectively. In addition, the first two IPCAs and interaction residual were significant. The first two IPCAs accounted for a total of 82.20 % of the interaction sum square. The results revealed that the observed yield variation among genotypes were due to genetic potential of genotypes and interaction rather than location differences. The highest yield was obtained from Melkam (3276 kg ha-1), while the lowest was from Grana-1 (2094 kg ha-1) and the average grain yield of genotypes was 2462 kg ha-1. Therefore, Melkam is selected as the best stable variety with consistent yielding performance across the testing environments in dry lowland areas of Temben and similar agro-ecologies in Tigray region, Northern Ethiopia.

Effect of Inter and Intra Row Spacing on Growth, Yield and Yield Components of Sorghum (<i>Sorghum bicolor </i>(<I>L.</I>) <i>Moench</i>) at Assosa District, Western Ethiopia

Studies on plant populations are scarce and poorly recorded in western Ethiopia, which is a necessary condition for successfully cultivating the sorghum crop. To identify the ideal planting spacing for sorghum productivity in the main cropping season, this experiment was carried out at the Assosa Agricultural Research Center, Benishangul-Gumuz Region, in the 2020 and 2021 cropping seasons. The experiment was set up in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. It had a factorial configuration with three levels of inter-row spacing (70 cm, 75 cm, and 80 cm) and four levels of intra-row spacing (15 cm, 20 cm, 25 cm, and 30 cm). The current finding indicates that plant height decreased as intra-row space increased. Inter n and intra-row spacing had a substantial interaction effect on grain yield (P<0.01) As a consequence, a planting spacing of 75 cm by 20 cm produced the highest grain production (4784.6 kg ha^-1). Similar to this, the main effect of 20 cm intra-row spacing produced a significant maximum head weight (12.7 kg/plot). At low population levels, yield reductions were observed (75 cm inter and 30cm intra row). The findings indicate that the decrease in final grain output was a result of an increase in intra-plant separation from 20 cm to 30 cm between plants. In general, plants placed properly provided a great output, whereas plants spaced widely produced a poor yield. Therefore, to maintain sorghum productivity with the necessary spacing, improved sorghum varieties in Assosa and other regions with comparable agro-ecologies can be encouraged to use 75 cm inter-row spacing and 20 cm intra-row spacing.

Impacts of fertilization management strategies on improved sorghums varieties in smallholder farming systems in Mali: Productivity and profitability differences

Sorghum is an important cereal crop cultivated by smallholder farmers of Mali, contributing significantly to their food demand and security. The study evaluated different fertilization strategies that combined organic and inorganic fertilizer applications with three sorghum varieties. The experiments were conducted over three cropping seasons (2017–2019) in three sites (Bamako, Bougouni, and Koutiala respectively) within the Sudanian region of Mali. Our results showed a significant effect of season, variety, and fertilization strategies on grain and stalk yields. Grain yield increased by 8–40% in Koutiala, 11–53% in Bougouni, and 44–110% in Bamako while the average stalk yield was above 5000 kg ha−1 with fertilized treatment compared to unfertilized treatment in the three sites. Fadda performed the best variety, mean grain yield was 23% and 42% higher than that of Soumba and Tieble, respectively. Similarly, there was a progressive increase in grain yield with an increasing level of poultry manure (PM) from 0 to 150 g/hill and cattle manure (CM) from 0 to 100 g/hill. However, the application of 100 g/hill of CM and PM plus 3 g/hill of Di-ammonium Phosphate (DAP) increased yield by 8% and 12% respectively compared to only CM or PM treatments. The results further revealed higher yield gain by 51% (Bamako), 57% (Koutiala), and 42% (Bougouni) for T10-[PM (100 g/hill) + Micro-D_DAP (3 g/hill)] equivalent to 73 kgNha−1 than others (T2-T9), but not proportionate to the highest value-cost ratio (VCR). Radar charts used to visualize sustainable intensification (SI) performance in the three domains (productivity, profitability, and environment) showed that the environmental variable has a direct influence on productivity, meanwhile profitability across the strategies ranged from low to moderate value across sites and different fertilizer strategies. Our study, therefore, recommends the use of multiple-choice fertilizer strategies includingT2-CM (50 g/hill)+PM(50 g/hill), T5-DAP-Micro-D (3 g/hill), T6-DAP41:46:00 and T9-PM(50 g/hill) alongside with improved sorghum varieties tested, for higher productivity and profitability across the region.

Forage-Yield and Nutrient Quality of New Brown Midrib (BMR) Mutant Lines of Sorghum

The objective of this study was to evaluate the yield, nutrient profile and in vitro digestibility of new BMR mutant lines of sorghum in Indonesia. These mutant lines were GH2.1, GH2.2, GH2.3, GH4.1, GH4.2, GH4.3 and GH4.4. One sorghum mutant line (CTY) and two national sorghum varieties (Super 1 and Bioguma) were also evaluated as controls. In vitro digestibility and rumen fermentation were measured using Ankom Daisy Fermenter and Hohenheim gas test methods, respectively. In vitro measurement consisted of ten treatments with five replications following a completely randomized design. The highest stem sugar content was found in Bioguma (11.22%) and GH4.4 (9.32%) (p<0.05). The Bioguma variety and the GH2.3 mutant line had a higher number of stem segments and fresh forage yield than the Super 1 variety (p<0.05). A greater concentration of crude protein (CP) was observed for the GH.2.1, GH2.2, GH2.3 and GH4.1 lines (p<0.05). The GH2.3 mutant line had the lowest acid detergent lignin (ADL) content (p<0.05), while Bioguma had the highest level of non-fibre carbohydrate (NFC) compounds (p<0.05). The highest relative feed value (RFV) was observed for the GH2.3 line (p<0.05). Furthermore, GH4.2 and GH2.3 had greater in vitro true digestibility (IVTD) (p<0.05) but were not significantly different from Bioguma. Regarding yield characteristics, nutrient composition and in vitro digestibility values, the highest values were found in the Bioguma variety and the GH2.3 mutant line. Except for n-valerate (nC5), significant differences in all rumen fermentation parameters were observed among sorghum cultivars (p<0.05). Regarding the interrelationship between parameters, we found a medium correlation of DMD with the ADL and cellulose content of sorghum forage (R2 = -0.489 and R2 = -0.674, respectively). Based on these findings, the GH2.3 BMR mutant line should be further developed as forage sorghum.

Participatory Evaluation of Sorghum Processing and Sensory Attributes in Mali: Methodology for Improving Food Security Outcomes from Variety Development Efforts

A requirement for the successful development of new sorghum varieties in Mali is effective evaluation of grain qualities, since sorghum is a staple food crop on which farmers rely for food security. The diversity of grain quality and social aspects that determine varietal acceptability for processing and cooking, however, make this a challenging task. As the processors of sorghum grain in households, women’s knowledge of grain quality traits can contribute to this work. Our objective is to understand opportunities to use grain quality traits to identify experimental varieties that may contribute to food security. Culinary evaluations were conducted in nine villages across two sorghum production zones. Three teams of women, one per replicate, processed, cooked and evaluated five test varieties in each village. Sensory evaluations were conducted by 25 taste testers per village. The major varietal differences observed included the decortication losses, women’s appreciation for ease of processing, and consistency of the prepared food. The participatory evaluation of the quality testing results led to the development of the concept of ‘food yield’. Discussion of these results focuses on designing cost-efficient grain and food quality evaluations that rely on women’s expertise as processors and strengthens their role in the variety development process.

Precision Phenotyping of Agro-Physiological Responses and Water Use of Sorghum under Different Drought Scenarios

Understanding sorghum response to water stress at different developmental stages is important for developing sorghum varieties with improved tolerance to drought. This study set out to finely characterize key agro-physiological responses and water use of sorghum subjected to different drought scenarios. A greenhouse experiment was conducted using a DroughtSpotter facility that enables real-time quantification of water use by gravimetric tracking. Four different water treatments were assessed: (i) early vegetative drought stress (DS1), (ii) DS1 plus recovery (DS1R), (iii) late vegetative drought stress (DS2), and (iv) well-watered (WW). Plant pheno-morphology and yield data were recorded. Leaf fluorescence and photosynthesis were continuously recorded throughout the experiment. Our results showed that green leaf number and plant leaf area were more affected by DS2 than DS1 and delayed plant flowering. Nevertheless, plants in DS2 were taller and produced higher stem and leaf biomass compared to DS1. No significant difference was recorded in grain yield between DS1 and DS2 but were outperformed by DS1R and WW. The transpiration and photosynthetic rates were shown to decrease at the same time as the stomatal conductance. This can therefore be assimilated to a stomatal down-regulation limiting CO2 uptake. However, the increase in intercellular CO2 concentration is likely to indicate the presence of CO2 in the substomatal cavity that was not conveyed to the carboxylation sites. This suggests a non-stomatal limitation of the photosynthesis. Moreover, the plants recovered quite well from DS1, and this was more prominent for physiological parameters than morphological ones. Globally, water use efficiency (WUE) for DS2 was higher compared to WW and DS1 treatments, confirming the growing point differentiation as a critical stage where drought stress should be avoided to ensure yield and better WUE. Adaptation responses were related to the reduction of transpiration through plant leaf area reduction, the reduction of stomatal conductance, and the increase of intercellular CO2 limiting photosynthesis. Further studies focusing on the biomarkers of stress and transcriptomic analyses are needed to provide further insight into the drought adaptation mechanisms of this line.

Sorghum, millet and cassava as alternative dietary energy sources for sustainable quail production – A review

Diversification and expansion of the poultry industry with fast-growing and highly prolific birds such as the quail (Coturnix coturnix), could contribute significantly in achieving global food and nutrition security. However, sustainable intensification of the quail relies on the cost of dietary ingredients used during feed formulations. The use of non-conventional energy sources such as sorghum, millet, and cassava in lieu of expensive energy sources such as maize, could ensure sustainable quail businesses. Generally, alternative feedstuffs should be cost-effective and possess comparable nutritional qualities as maize. In tropical countries such as South Africa, the use of sorghum, millet, and cassava in quail diets can serve as ideal alternatives because they have relatively comparable energy values as maize. Furthermore, these alternatives are largely available and easily accessible in many farming areas of South Africa. However, the presence of antinutritional factors such as tannins, cyanides and phytic acid, among others, as well as their high fiber levels may limit their utilization in quail nutrition. Nevertheless, attempts have been made to develop improved varieties with low antinutrient compositions, for instance, low-tannin sorghum varieties are increasingly being fed to poultry birds. Furthermore, there is growing evidence that certain processing techniques such as sun-drying, soaking, boiling and fermentation, among others, can lower the concentrations of antinutrients in these alternative feedstuffs, thus increasing their feeding value. To this end, nutritional feeding trials on the positive effects of sorghum, millet and cassava in quail nutrition are inconsistent, mainly due to differences in cultivar type, harvesting site or environmental conditions, sampling, and handling methods amongst other factors. Thus, the present review aimed to discuss the potential of substituting maize with sorghum, millet, and cassava in quail diets.

Using Sweet Sorghum Varieties for the Phytoremediation of Petroleum-Contaminated Salinized Soil: A Preliminary Study Based on Pot Experiments

Using energy plants to repair salinized soils polluted by petroleum is an efficient way to solve the problem of farmland reduction and prevent pollutants from entering the food chain simultaneously. In this study, pot experiments were conducted for the purposes of preliminarily discussing the potential of using an energy plant, sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench), to repair petroleum-polluted salinized soils and obtain associated varieties with excellent remediation performance. The emergence rate, plant height and biomass of different varieties were measured to explore the performance of plants under petroleum pollution, and the removal of petroleum hydrocarbons in soil with candidate varieties was also studied. The results showed that the emergence rate of 24 of the 28 varieties were not reduced by the addition of 1.0 × 104 mg/kg petroleum in soils with a salinity of 0.31%. After a 40-day treatment in salinized soil with petroleum additions of 1.0 × 104 mg/kg, 4 potential well-performed varieties including Zhong Ketian No. 438, Ke Tian No. 24, Ke Tian No. 21 (KT21) and Ke Tian No. 6 with a plant height of >40 cm and dry weight of >4 g were screened. Obvious removal of petroleum hydrocarbons in the salinized soils planted with the four varieties were observed. Compared with the treatment without plants, the residual petroleum hydrocarbon concentrations in soils planted with KT21 decreased by 69.3%, 46.3%, 56.5%, 50.9% and 41.4%, for the additions of 0, 0.5 × 104, 1.0 × 104, 1.5 × 104 and 2.0 × 104 mg/kg, respectively. In general, KT21 had the best performance and application potential to remediate petroleum-polluted salinized soil.

Identification of Yield-Limiting Nutrients for Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) Yield, Nutrient Uptake and Use Efficiency on Vertisols of Raya Kobo District, Northeastern Ethiopia

Agricultural productivity was negatively impacted by low soil fertility and uneven fertilizer application during crop cultivation in Ethiopia. Because of this, important crops frequently respond to fertilizer applications significantly below their achievable and potential yields. This study was carried out to determine the most sorghum yield-limiting nutrients in the Raya Kobo area of the Amhara Region in the 2020/21 crop season. Sorghum variety Girana-One was used as the test crop. Control, NPS, PSBZn, NPBZn, NSBZn, NPSB, NPSZn, NPSBZn, recommended NP, and NPSKBZn were treatments. Three replications of the experiment were used in a randomized complete block design. Before treatment application, a composite soil sample was collected at a depth of 0–20 cm to determine the soil’s physicochemical properties. To evaluate N and P uptakes, samples of sorghum stalk and grain were collected. SAS software was used to analyze the data. Results showed that, NPKSZnB produced a considerably greater grain yield (4620 kg·ha−1), whereas the control and N omitted plots produced the lowest grain yields (2759 kg·ha−1) and 2805 kg·ha−1, respectively. Nitrogen fertilizer missing plots showed a statistically significant yield drop compared to the other plots, and there was no statistically significant yield difference between the prescribed NP plots and the potassium, sulfur, boron, or zinc omitted plots. The plots treated with NPKSZnB had the highest agronomic efficiency for N (19.7 kg grain kg−1·N) and P (10.6 kg grain kg−1 P2O5). Therefore, research and development should therefore concentrate on nitrogen to achieve the best sorghum yield for the study location. Phosphorus might also be used to keep the fertility level within the ideal range.

Protective Effects of Sodium Nitroprusside on Photosynthetic Performance of Sorghum bicolor L. under Salt Stress.

In this study, the impacts of the foliar application of different sodium nitroprusside (SNP, as a donor of nitric oxide) concentrations (0-300 µM) on two sorghum varieties (Sorghum bicolor L. Albanus and Sorghum bicolor L. Shamal) under salt stress (150 mM NaCl) were investigated. The data revealed that salinity leads to an increase in oxidative stress markers and damage of the membrane integrity, accompanied by a decrease in the chlorophyll content, the open photosystem II (PSII) centers, and the performance indexes (PI ABS and PI total), as well as having an influence on the electron flux reducing photosystem I (PSI) end acceptors (REo/RC). Spraying with SNP alleviated the NaCl toxicity on the photosynthetic functions; the protection was concentration-dependent, and greater in Shamal than in Albanus, i.e., variety specific. Furthermore, the experimental results revealed that the degree of SNP protection under salt stress also depends on the endogenous nitric oxide (NO) amount in leaves, the number of active reaction centers per PSII antenna chlorophylls, the enhanced electron flux reducing end acceptors at the acceptor side of PSI, as well as the stimulation of the cyclic electron transport around PSI. The results showed better protection in both varieties of sorghum for SNP concentrations up to 150 µM, which corresponds to about a 50% increase in the endogenous NO leaf content in comparison to the control plants. Our study provides valuable insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying SNP-induced salt tolerance in sorghum varieties and might be a practical approach to correcting salt intolerance.

Adoption of Improved Sorghum Variety (Melkam) and Its Impact on Household Food Security in Babile District, Eastern Ethiopia

This study aimed to examine the adoption of an improved sorghum variety (melkam) and its impact on smallholder farmers’ food security in Babile district, Eastern Harerghe zone, Oromia regional state, Ethiopia. A mixed research methodology was used to utilize both quantitative and qualitative strategies for data gathering and analysis. A multistage sampling process was applied to choose the 320 sample household heads. Literature was reviewed for secondary data. The results of the descriptive statistics indicated that 47.5% and 52.5% of the sample households adopted and did not adopt enhanced sorghum varieties, respectively. According to the findings of the binary logistic regression, factors that positively influenced farmers' decisions to adopt improved sorghum varieties included years of education, land holding, incomes, the availability of credit services, extension contact, and farmer cooperatives. In contrast, factors that adversely impacted farmers' judgments included household head age and market distance. Hence, this upshot concludes that improving educational levels, creating a fine line for credit access, and enhancing farmer cooperatives are needed to improve sorghum variety adoption.

Identification of waxy genotype in sorghum genetic resources using waxy gene-based markers and iodine staining methods

Sorghum is widely recognized as a versatile crop with significant value in the production of food and energy. Sorghum with waxy trait (low amylose) is more palatable to the food industries and more appealing to consumers than nonwaxy variety. However, waxy sorghum has not yet been introduced to Indonesia, making it difficult to use sorghum to support the government of Indonesia's initiative to diversify the country's main foods. This study aimed at identify the waxy traits in a set of sorghum germplasm collected in Indonesia using waxy gene-based markers and iodine staining screening approaches. A total of 48 (27 introduced and 21 local) sorghum accessions collected in the IAARD gene bank along with 4 national sorghum varieties, which were subjected to both molecular analysis and iodine staining assay. The presence of waxy allele in the sorghum gene bank collection was identified using DNA markers associated with two waxy alleles (wxa and wxc). Iodine staining assay performed in the present study was applied to verify the waxy phenotype in sorghum grain and waxy genotypes in sorghum pollen. Based on molecular analysis and pollen staining, five local sorghum accessions were classified as heterowaxy sorghum. These accessions showed reddish-brown color in their endosperm after treated by iodine staining which confirmed them as waxy phenotype. These findings would be beneficial for further improvement of grain quality in sorghum breeding programs

Nitrogen fertilizer promoting salt tolerance of two sorghum varieties under different salt compositions

Soil salinization is more aggravating than ever before and techniques are needed to mitigate this problem; understanding salinity-fertilizer relationship is of considerable economic importance for promoting crop growth and productivity in saline soil. A pot experiment was done in a greenhouse to determine whether the N could alleviate the negative effect of different salts compositions on the growth, and physiological attributes of the two most used Sudan sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) cultivars (Wadahmed and Tabat). The plant was subjected to the salt stress at 0, 0.3419 M NaCl, and 0.1408 M Na2SO4, and four levels of N application 0, 4, 8, and 12 g N kg-1 soil, designated as N0, N1, N2, and N3, respectively. Results showed that Na2SO4 was reduced plant height, leaf area index, number of leaves, dry weight (DW), chlorophyll a, total chlorophyll content, and increased soluble protein content, activities of peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) activities by 16.4%, 29.7%, 61.5%, 28.7%, 39.6%, 12.7%, 99.7%, 34.3%, 51.8%, respectively, when compared with the non-saline treatment. The Na2SO4 salt had a more harmful effect than NaCl. This study revealed that N fertilizer was successful for alleviating the adverse impacts of both types of salt. In this study, 12 g N kg-1 soil was most effective on most of the measured parameters of two sorghum cultivars. These findings demonstrated that the N soil amendment application could alleviate the harmful impact of salinity. ‘Wadahmed’ was more tolerant to salinity stress than ‘Tabat’ during the boot stage of sorghum plant.

Evaluation of Some Sorghum Cultivars for Drought Tolerance under Gezira Irrigated Conditions

This study aimed at to improve drought resilience of sorghum germplasm through development of screening techniques for sustainable food security. Also this study aimed at creating knowledge on the response of farmers’ preferred sorghum varieties to water deficit tolerance under Gezira irrigated conditions. Results from this study proved that Tabat showed susceptibility to drought at the four water treatments while Yarwahsa showed resistance to drought at all water treatments especially at 65 days after sowing. Also YR-2 had the best head weight and number of green leaves across all treatments. Future evaluation of the studied cultivars showld be carried on to confirm their tolerance and stability under water deficit conditions would be useful.

Response of midland sorghum varieties to different intra-row spacing at kaffa zone south western Ethiopia

The experiment was conducted to determine optimum plant spacing and suitable variety and as well as to identify the interaction effect of varieties and Intra-row spacing on the yield of sorghum. The experiment having a factorial arrangement of three varieties (Geremew, Lalo and farmer’s local variety) and three intra-row levels (10 cm, 15 cm and 20 cm) was laid out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. According to the current results, varieties were significantly (p&lt;0.05) affected by all the parameters (days to maturity, plant height, panicle length, thousand seed weight and total grain yield) except stand count. The maximum days to maturity and total grain yield (205.2 days and 5628.1 kg ha-1 respectively) were obtained from Lalo. The highest thousand seed weight (23.1 g) was recorded from Geremew and at it takes a short period for maturity (119.5 days). Similarly, intra-row spacing significantly (p&lt;0.05) affected the panicle length and stand count. The highest panicle length (28.15 cm) was recorded in 15 cm intra-row spaced plants. The maximum stand count (78.6 % and 83.6%) was obtained from 15 cm and 20 cm spaced plants respectively. Generally, the outcome of this study revealed that even though the yield was statistically non-significant to intra-raw spacing, at 15cm and 20cm the grain yield was a maximum of 4178.5 kg ha-1 and 4190.9 kg ha-1, respectively. Therefore, among the intra-row spacing 20 cm intra-row spacing for its minimized planting materials (seed) and easy management and among the varieties, Lalo could be promoted in study areas and similar agro-ecologies. Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. Tech. 12(2): 138-143, December 2022

The use the VIR world collection in the selection of new varieties and hybrids of sugar sorghum for arid regions of the Russian Federation

Relevance . Currently, a highly productive agricultural crop, unique in drought resistance, sugar sorghum is traditionally used in the crop industry of the agro-industrial complex mainly for fodder purposes for the production of hay, silage, haylage, monofeed, briquettes from biomass, and in recent years the direction related to technical and food processing has been developing. Breeders are widely attracted to the source material from the world collection of VIR, on the basis of which new highly productive varieties and hybrids are created, characterized by a high sugar content in the juice of stems, as well as maturing in the conditions of the cultivation region. The multidirectional selection of new varieties of sugar sorghum with specified economic characteristics is relevant for providing raw materials for various branches of the agro-industrial complex. Methods . The field assessment of morphometric indicators, the yield of biomass and seeds of the studied samples was carried out according to the Methodology of the state variety testing of agricultural crops, as well as according to the Broad unified classifier of cultivated species of the genus Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench. Results . The study of the gene pool of sugar sorghum made it possible to identify 18 samples that are donors of economically valuable traits, which are included in the working collection for the creation of new forms. Some samples are donors of several economically valuable signs: 6 signs — Volonter, 5 signs — Scheherezada, k-302, L-39/12; 4 signs — Izolda, Sahara, Seviliay, k-256, k-257, k-10092, L-66/13, L-67/13; 3 signs — Moment, Chaika, k-327, L-44/13. According to the developed model of the variety and the results of the tests, a new variety of sugar sorghum Izolda was isolated, surpassing the zoned variety Volzhskoe 51 in biomass yield by 21,0% and in seeds yield — by 11,1% in the conditions of 2020–2021.

Impact of lead on seed germination, seedling growth, chemical composition, and forage quality of different varieties of Sorghum

Due to heavy metal contamination, there are currently significant losses in agriculture and food security. Anthropogenic sources led to increased heavy metal contamination, which was becoming an attentive problem for agriculture and food safety. Among these metals, lead (Pb), which is toxic and affects crop production, has emerged as a standout due to its severe toxicity and relatively obscure mode of action.This study aims to compare the chemical composition and nutritional value of three tested sorghum cultivars grown in Pb-spiked soil with different levels of Pb (0, 100, 200, 400 and 800 mg kg−1). Also, the impact of different Pb levels on germination, fresh and dry weight of underground and aboveground parts, and morphological characters of three tested sorghum cultivars were assessed. The results emphasized that the germination index (GRI), radical and plumule length (cm), vigor index (VI), and tolerance index (TI) declined significantly by increasing Pb levels at all the examined cultivars. The morphological parameters of the examined cultivars decreased progressively with increasing Pb concentration for three tested sorghum cultivars. The nutritive values and forage quality of examined cultivars are negatively impacted by higher Pb levels, rendering them hazardous to animal consumption. These results may help scheme a mitigation strategy for lead injuriousness.

Evaluation of the effect of pre-sowing treatment of grain sorghum seeds with fungicides on the development of blotches in the forest-steppe of the Samara Region

Relevance. It is important to evaluate the effectiveness of modern fungicides and their effect on the development of leaf infections of grain sorghum in order to optimize plant protection against diseases. Methods. The studies were carried out in the fields of the Volga Scientific Research Institute of Selection and Seed-Growing named after P.N. Konstantinov on grain sorghum variety Premiere in 2014–2016. Leaf diseases were estimated by eye in the field during the phases of flowering, milky, waxy, and full grain ripeness. The average lesion of each plant was evaluated, and the prevalence and intensity of disease development was established. Seeds were treated immediately before sowing. Biological effectiveness of the studied fungicides was determined by prevalence and intensity of disease development. Results. Analysis of leaves showed that quite a wide complex of pathogens belonging to the kingdom of fungi caused blotches on sorghum leaves. Mycelium and spores of fungi Alternaria sp., Fusarium sp., Helminthosporium sp. and others were detected on the affected leaves in the stain area. The obtained results allow us to conclude that the development of the fungal leaf blotches in sorghum in the conditions of forest-steppe of the Samara region considerably depends on hydrothermal conditions of the year: the more arid are conditions of May and June, the higher amount of precipitation and thelower temperature is in July, the higher is leaf blotch infestation of sorghum. Seed pretreatment with fungicides suppressed fungal leaf blotch development in the Premiere variety by 13.6–47.0 % in 2014, 6.9–62.2 % – in 2015, and 3.5–53.7 % – in 2016. At the same time, the highest biological efficacy showed treatment of seeds with fungicides of contact-system action “Fundazol” and “Vitaros”; was 25.0–75.0 % in prevalence and 26.2–62.2 % in the intensity of leaf blotch development.