Stem Sugar Content Research Articles

Trichoderma harzianum inoculation promotes sweet sorghum growth in the saline soil by modulating rhizosphere available nutrients and bacterial community.

As one of the major abiotic stresses, salinity can affect crop growth and plant productivity worldwide. The inoculation of rhizosphere or endophytic microorganisms can enhance plant tolerance to salt stresses, but the potential mechanism is not clear. In this study, Trichoderma harzianum ST02 was applied on sweet sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] in a field trial to investigate the effects on microbiome community and physiochemical properties in the rhizosphere soil. Compared with the non-inoculated control, Trichoderma inoculation significantly increased the stem yield, plant height, stem diameter, and total sugar content in stem by 35.52%, 32.68%, 32.09%, and 36.82%, respectively. In addition, Trichoderma inoculation improved the nutrient availability (e.g., N, P, and K) and organic matter in the rhizosphere soil and changed the bacterial community structure and function in both bulk and rhizosphere soil by particularly increasing the relative abundance of Actinobacter and N-cycling genes (nifH, archaeal and bacterial amoA). We proposed that T. harzianum ST02 could promote sweet sorghum growth under saline conditions by regulating available nutrients and the bacterial community in the rhizosphere soil.

Characterizing sorghum genotypes for forage yield, hydrocyanic acid and sugar contents under arid climate conditions

AbstractSorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is a dual nature crop, which is used for food as well as fodder, depending on plant ideotype. Sorghum forage is important for ruminants, but a major constraint is the anti-nutritional factor dhurrin, a hydrocyanic acid (HCN) producing glucoside. There are several additional effects of dhurrin, which reduce the nutritional value of sorghum fodder for livestock. This two-year study was aimed to evaluate the variation among diverse sorghum varieties, specifically for HCN content, forage yield and stem sugar content (brix value) under arid climate in Pakistan. Nine sorghum varieties were used for this experiment: JS-2002, Chakwal sorghum, Lines CS-17, Super late, PAK SS-2, Johar, JS-263, Sargodha-2011 and YSS-98. Results reveal that Sargodha-2011 had superior morphological traits for fresh forage and dry biomass yield, and stem brix value, compared to other varieties. Higher HCN contents were recorded in Super late compared to other varieties. Significant negative correlation of HCN with yield showed that improvement in yield will reduce the HCN content of sorghum. In conclusion, sorghum variety SGD-11 was shown best performing for higher biomass yield and brix value, and lower HCN content compared to other tested varieties under arid climate of Thal, Pakistan.

Morphological responses of six sorghum varieties on cadmium-contaminated soil

Abstract. Hasanah NAU, Purwanto E, Harsono P, Samanhudi, Sakya AT. 2023. Morphological responses of six sorghum varieties on cadmium-contaminated soil. Biodiversitas 24: 3903-3915. Six sorghum varieties were planted on cadmium-contaminated soil and characterized from April to July 2020 at a rice field in Balecatur Gamping, Yogyakarta. The objectives of this experiment were to characterize themorphological responses of six sorghum varieties and select a variety with a high biomass and Cd uptake fora potential phytoremediator. This experiment used six sorghum varieties, namely Super-1, Samurai-1, Suri-3, Numbu, Kawali, and Hitam, following completely randomized design procedures with four replications. The observation of morphological and agronomical characteristics focused on ten plants as the sample of each plot. The result showed that there were differences in the morphological and agronomical characteristics among six sorghum varieties. Varieties were assessed in terms of distinctness and grouped based on the time of panicle emergence, plant height, panicle shape, and caryopsis color. There were threeclasses as follows: Class 1, i.e., time of panicle emergence: very early (Super-1, Suri-3, Numbu, and Hitam); plant height: long (Super-1), medium (Suri-3), short (Numbu and Hitam); panicle shape: panicle broader in the upper part (Numbu), symmetrical (Super-1 and Suri-3), pyramidal (Hitam); caryopsis color: white (Super-1), grayish orange (Suri-3 and Hitam), yellowish orange (Numbu). Class 2, time of panicle emergence: early (Samurai-1); plant height: medium (Samurai-1); panicle shape: panicle broader in the lower part (Samurai-1); caryopsis color: yellowish orange (Samurai-1). Class 3, time of panicle emergence: medium (Kawali); plant height: medium (Kawali); panicle shape: panicle broader in the lower part (Kawali); caryopsis color: yellowish white (Kawali). Assessment of agronomical characteristics revealed that fresh plant weight had a significant positive correlation with plant height R1, plant height R5, stem diameter, leaf bladewidth, thousand-grain weight, and stem sugar content. Several varieties, namely Super-1, Samurai-1 and Kawali, were found to have excellent agronomical characteristics to provide a solid varietal basis for selecting varieties as phytoremediators.

Ciri Agronomi dan Serat Delapan Varian Sorgum sebagai Pakan

Sorghum is a multifunctional crop as a source of food, feed, and alternative energy. Plant breeding using the radiation mutation technique was applied to improve the characteristics of sorghum according to its purpose. This study evaluated the agronomic and fiber characteristics of selected sorghum mutant lines. Eight sorghum mutant lines were observed in this study (GHP-2, GHP-3, GHP-4, GHP-5, GHP-7, G-5, P-341, and P36.M10). Pahat and Bioguma sorghum varieties were used as control. Compared to eight selected mutant lines, Bioguma variety was the tallest plant. Except for P-341, all selected mutant sorghum lines produced lower plant biomass than Bioguma. The highest sugar content was produced by G-5 and P-36.M10. There are no significant differences in seed production per panicle. The lowest fiber fractions in the leaf and stem were produced by GHP-3 and G-5 mutant lines, respectively. Based on our findings, the P-341 sorghum mutant line can be used as forage sorghum because it produces high biomass and relatively low fiber content. The G-5 mutant line can be projected as an alternative energy source due to its high stem sugar content.
 
 Keywords: agronomy, fiber, mutant, sorghum

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.

Bioethanol yield from stems of different sugar sorghum hybrids at different sowing rates

Aim. To determine bioethanol yield from sugar sorghum stems at different plant sowing rates. Methods. Field – establishing and conducting research, physical – determining the yield of plant vegetative mass, chemical – determining stem sugar content, analysis and statistical. Results. The article presents the study results of the yield of vegetative and dry mass, stem sugar content, bioethanol yield for the cultivation of various hybrids of sugar sorghum with a sowing rate of 75, 100, 150 and 200 thousand psc/ha. It was found that in the variant with the highest sowing rate, the green mass yield of Mamont, Verbliud and Sokhatyii hybrids increased to 82.9–92.6 t/ha, and that of Zubr, Favoryt and Medovyi ones increased to 72.6–78.6 t/ha. The highest yield of dry mass was obtained at a density of 200 thousand pcs/ha in Zubr and Mamont hybrids – 19.3–20.0 t/ha. The yield of dry mass at the level of 14.0–17.5 t/ha was obtained for the cultivation of Favoryt, Medovyi, Verblid and Sokhatyii hybrids with a sowing rate of 150–200 thousand pcs/ha. The highest yield at sowing rates of 75 thousand pcs/ha was provided by the cultivation of Mamont, Verbluid and Sokhatyi hybrids – 12.4–13.7 t/ha. It was found that stem sugar content decreased significantly with the increase in plant sowing rate. In addition, in the stems of Zubr and Verb­luid hybrids, sugar content was significantly higher compared to other hybrids - 17.0–18.9%, depending on sowing rate. The highest bioethanol yield was provided by the cultivation of Zubr, Mamont, Verbluid and Sokhatyi hybrids with a sowing rate of 200 thousand pcs/ha – 6 467–7 215 l/ha. At this sowing rate, the bioethanol yield in other hybrids was at the level of 5563–5658 l/ha. In addition, stability index varied from 0.31 to 0.88. Conclusions. In the conditions of the Right Bank Forest Steppe, bioethanol yield from sugar sorghum stems varies depending on the hybrid and plant sowing rate. Under the growing conditions of Zubr, Mamont, Verbluid and Sokhatyi hybrids with a sowing rate of 200 thousand units/ha, bioethanol yield is 6467–7215 l/ha. In addition, biothenol yield is affected by weather conditions. In more favorable weather conditions, this indicator is 8.508–9.149 l/ha in Zubr, Mamont, Verbluid, and Sokhatyi hybrids with a sowing rate of 200 thousand pcs/ha, and in less favorable conditions, it is 3.784–5.922 l/ha or less by 1.4–2.4 times.

Toward bioeconomy of a multipurpose cereal: Cell wall chemistry of Sorghum is largely buffered against stem sugar content

AbstractBackground and ObjectivesSorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) is a multipurpose crop with high potential for the bioeconomy. Ten sweet, grain and dual‐purpose sorghum genotypes were compared with respect to sugar‐related traits and cell wall composition.FindingsThe dual‐purpose hybrids Ganymed, Zerberus, and Tarzan performed better with respect to plant height, cane weight, and juice volume, but the sweet genotype KIT1 produced the highest sugar concentration (°Brix) in the stem. Analytical sugar data demonstrate genotypic differences in terms of sugar composition and concentrations, with sucrose being dominant. The monosaccharide composition of the stem cell wall polysaccharides showed surprisingly little genotypic variability. Variations in contents of lignin and cell wall‐bound hydroxycinnamate monomers were moderate.ConclusionsSweet, grain and dual‐purpose sorghum genotypes differ widely in terms of sugar‐related morphological parameters but are comparable with respect to their cell wall chemistry.Significance and NoveltyThe use of sorghum as a bioeconomy crop has mainly focused on the extraction of sugar for bioethanol production. However, besides cell wall polymers, the potential usage of hydroxycinnamates as platform molecules for the chemical industry may improve the valorization of the residues after sugar extraction. This application appears to be fairly independent of genotype, further increasing the potential of sorghum for the bioeconomy.

Quantitative trait loci mapping of stem sugar content and stem diameter in sorghum recombinant inbred lines using genotyping-by-sequencing.

Sweet sorghum is an important crop with sugary stem that can mainly be used for syrup, fodder and bio-fuel. Many sugar content QTLs have been discovered from different sources through breeding worldwide. Most of these QTLs are detected using exotic germplasm as a mapping population. This study aimed to detect and map QTLs for stem sugar content and stem diameter targeting Ethiopian recombinant inbred lines of sorghum using genotyping-by-sequencing. Genotyping-by-sequencing and phenotyping using 139 recombinant inbred lines of sorghum as mapping populations were conducted. A total of 1082 polymorphic and high quality SNP markers that are evenly distributed across the ten linkage groups of sorghum were selected to detect and map the trait of interest. A genetic linkage map using 1082 SNP markers was constructed and several QTLs associated with stem sugar content and stem diameter were identified. Phenotypic variation explained by qBrix4-1 and qBrix2-1 ranged from 6.33 to 14%, respectively. Over two seasons, four QTLs for stem sugar content (qBrix1-1, qBrix2-1, qBrix4-1 and qBrix4-2) and three QTLs for stem diameter (qSD1-1, qSD8-1 and qSD9-1) were detected. QTLs that significantly associated with stem sugar content and stem diameter have been detected and mapped. This will help sorghum breeding program to develop superior sweet sorghum varieties through the use of appropriate crop improvement approaches like marker assisted breeding. This ultimately contributes to the current development plan to considerably improve food, feed and bio-fuel supply in developing countries like Ethiopia.

Agroindustrial performance and heterosis in sweet sorghum using male-sterile lines with high stem sugar content

The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of hybrids and the heterosis in crosses of sweet sorghum using juicy sweet male-sterile lines and fertility-restoring lines with and without sensitivity to photoperiod. Thirty hybrids and six controls were evaluated in experiments laid out in a 6 × 6 triple lattice design. The genotypes differed for all traits. The general combining ability (GCA) of the R lines affected all traits, while the GCA of the A lines only affected juice extraction, total soluble solids, and tons of Brix per hectare (TBH). The photosensitive-restoring line CMSXS5022 had the highest positive GCA estimates for the fresh mass production and TBH traits. Heterosis was significant only for days to flowering and plant height. Overall, the photoperiod-sensitive hybrids stood out. The development of male-sterile lines requires better complementarity from restoring lines to reap the benefits of heterosis.

English

Sucrose synthase (SuSy) is one of the key enzymes regulating sucrose metabolism in plants. There are at least five different SuSy genesexist in sugarcane, and their biological functions are not fully understood. In this paper, the phylogenetic analysis of all plantSuSygenes published to-date (109) has been grouped into three classes: SuSyI, SuSyII and SuSyIII. SuSyIwas further divided into monocot and eudicot SuSyI, indicating their independent evolutionary trajectory paralleling monocot and dicot divergence. The leaf total sugar content of high-, medium-and low-sugar sugarcane genotypes varied at the early stage of plant growth. However, there was no strong correlation between early-stage leaf sucrose content and the final stem sugar content and sugar yield of mature crop. The proportion of leaf sucrose and fructose content in most sugarcane genotypes in the early stage of growth was about 30%each, and that of glucose was about 40%. The SuSy enzyme activity and gene expression of sugarcane sucrose synthase gene ScSuSy1and ScSuSy4in those genotypes also showed a remarkable variation during the same growth period. The expression profiles of these genes in high-sugar, medium-and low-sugar genotypes were complex with no clear association between their activity at the early stage of plant growth and final sugar yield of those genotypes. The biological role of ScSuSy1and ScSuSy4gene may change with sugarcane plant development, and may be involved in both the synthesis and decomposition of sucrose.© 2021 Friends Science Publishers

Agronomic characters evaluation of sweet sorghum bicolor (l.) moench mutants

Sorghum is an annual crop with a lot of varieties. Recently, sweet sorghum is recognized as a potential new generation bioenergy crop because of its potential to accumulate sugar (10-15%) in its stalk similar to sugarcane, apart from producing grains. This study aims to evaluate agronomic characters including sugar contents of M3 and M4 population of sweet sorghum mutants derived from Numbu variety. The mutants were produced by combining in-vitro culture with induced mutation using gamma ray irradiation. The study was conducted at ICABIOGRAD Experiment Station (KP Cikeumeuh) in Bogor-Indonesia from July 2015 to June 2016. The study was arranged in augmented, the selection of selected lines for the next test material was based on agronomic characteristics of plant height, stem diameter and sugar Brix, which were superior to its parents, namely Numbu. The selection of selected lines for the next test material is based on agronomic characteristics of plant height, stem diameter and sugar Brix, which is superior to its parents, namely Numbu. Evaluation and selection in M3 and M4 population were focused on important agronomic characters such as plant height, stem diameter, stem sugar content, panicle length and weight, and yield/plant. The results indicated that 13 mutants having higher plant, bigger stem diameter, higher Brix value, seed production and higher yield/plant than their parent, Numbu. Have been selected from M3 and M4 population the selected mutants (M5) will be used further for yield trials.

Nitrogen management enhanced plant growth, antioxidant ability, and grain yield of rice under salinity stress

AbstractSalinity is a major abiotic stress limiting crop growth and reducing grain yield. In recent years, little progress was made in salt‐tolerant cultivation techniques. Therefore, a controlled experiment was conducted to study the effects of nitrogen management (NM) on growth, antioxidant ability, and yield performance of salt‐tolerant rice (Oryza sativa L.) under salinity stress. Three salinity levels (0‰ as control; 0.75‰, 4.3 dS m−1; and 1.5‰, 7.7 dS m−1) and four levels of NM (tillering fertilizer/panicle initiation fertilizer = 7:3, 6:4, 5:5, and 4:6) were arranged in this study. Under salinity stress, plant height, tiller number, fresh weight, grain yield, panicle, spikelets per panicle, grain weight, and soluble sugar content in stem were significantly decreased. In contrast, antioxidant parameters of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase were significantly increased. Grain filling percentage and sucrose content were slightly changed. Compared to the control, grain yield was reduced by 45.6%, 34.8%, 60.4%, and 46.7% at the ratio of 7:3, 6:4, 5:5, and 4:6 NM at 0.75‰ salinity level, and 73.5%, 59.7%, 74.8%, and 61.7% at 1.5‰ salinity level, respectively. The highest yield was generated by 6:4 NM at both the 0.75‰ and 1.5‰ salinity level, and the lowest by 4:6 and 5:5. However, NM could obviously alleviate the inhibition effects of salinity stress and improve antioxidant ability of rice. Among them, 6:4 NM performed the best alleviation effects, followed by 7:3 and 5:5 NM. This study suggests that the appropriate NM can effectively alleviate salinity stress and increase grain yield.

Changes of non-structural carbohydrates in Caryopteris mongolica seedlings during the process of drought-induced mortality

The changes and distribution of non-structural carbohydrate (NSC, including soluble sugar and starch) content in different organs of one-year-old Caryopteris mongolica seedlings were investigated under suitable water condition (CK), slow-dying drought stress, and fast-dying drought stress. There was no significant difference in soluble sugar content of all organs between slow-dying drought stress and CK. With the extended duration of drought, the soluble sugar content in stem increased firstly and then decreased, while starch and NSC contents decreased. The soluble sugar content in coarse roots decreased, while starch and NSC contents increased. The soluble sugar content in leaves increased, while starch and NSC contents of leaves decreased. The NSC content of leaves, stems, coarse roots and fine roots were 6.2%, 7.8%, 8.3% and 7.4% at the death time (80 days), respectively. Under fast-dying drought stress, soluble sugar content in all organs was higher than that in CK, while starch and NSC contents were lower than that in CK. With the increasing time, soluble sugar content of roots decreased, while starch and NSC contents increased. The soluble sugar, starch and NSC contents in stems increased. The soluble sugar content of leaves increased, while starch and NSC contents decreased. The NSC content of leaves, stems, coarse roots and fine roots were 5.9%, 6.6%, 8.9% and 7.7% at lethal time (30 days), respectively. Under different drought stress, non-structural carbohydrates among different organs of C. mongolica seedlings showed different dynamics. Under slow-dying drought stress, NSC gave priority to allocate energy for maintaining physiological metabolism of organs. Under fast-dying drought stress, NSC mainly maintained plant metabolism in the form of soluble sugar, regulated osmotic potential, promoted water absorption, and coped with drastic drought stress.

Effect of the mode and time of gibberellic acid treatment on plant architecture and bulb structure in garlic (Allium sativum L.)

Garlic (Allium sativum L.) bulb, as the main propagation organ, is consumed worldwide for its flavor and medicinal value. Our previous work showed that injecting plant with gibberellic acid (GA3) can dramatically increase the clove number per bulb to improve propagation efficiency of garlic. However, how the mode and time of application of GA3 affect plant architecture and bulb structure remains largely unknown. Herein, we investigated the effect of both soaking seed clove in GA3 solution for different durations (6, 12, 24 and 48 h, respectively) and injecting plant with GA3 at seven growth stages (30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180 and 210 days after planting) on plant growth and bulb development in garlic cultivar G024. It was evident that soaking seed clove in GA3 solution for 48 h induced secondary plant (equated with tiller or lateral branch) formation and significantly increased the incidence rate of secondary plant, clove number per bulb and bulb weight. In 2016–2017 and 2017–2018, clove number per bulb (19.59 and 19.64, respectively) and bulb weight (50.72 g and 48.82 g, respectively) were sharply increased by injection of GA3 at 30 days after planting (DAP), as compared to control (12.14 and 11.75, respectively; 37.53 g and 36.72 g, respectively). No difference in clove number per bulb among control, “GA3 180 DAP” and “GA3 210 DAP” was recorded. Furthermore, soluble sugar content in stem was higher at 4 days after GA3 treatment and was lower at 32 days after GA3 treatment, as compared to control. At 8, 16 and 32 days after GA3 treatment, soluble protein content in stem (4.28, 4.55 and 7.32 mg g−1 FW, respectively) was always higher than control (2.52, 3.44 and 5.81 mg g−1 FW, respectively).In summary, soaking seed clove in 1 mM L−1 GA3 solution for 48 h is a better way to increase bulb weight but caused a decrease in bulb commodity quality. While injecting plant with 1 mM L−1 GA3 at 60, 90 or 120 DAP can be used for increasing clove number per bulb to improve propagation efficiency of garlic. Exogenous GA3 induced axillary bud formation of garlic via the changes of soluble sugar content and soluble protein content in stem.

Evaluation of performance of sorghum varieties grown in Tokyo for sugar accumulation and its correlation with vacuolar invertase genes SbInv1 and SbInv2

ABSTRACTThe sugar-accumulating potential of global and local sweet and grain sorghum varieties were tested under the local conditions. The basis for this study was the dependency of sugar accumulation on temperature and photoperiod. Thus, the efficacy of cultivars as a bioenergy source would need to be determined based on their performance under the local environmental conditions. A strong correlation of sucrose content with brix was observed, enabling large-scale screening of varieties for high sucrose content. The morphological characteristics inherent in sweet sorghum, such as tall stems, greater number of leaves and a longer vegetative period, were found to correlate with the total stem sugar content. Assessment of sugars along the stem revealed maximum sugar accumulation in the upper intermediate to upper internodes in most of the varieties tested. The maximum theoretical ethanol yield (MTEY), a function of brix and juice yield, was determined as a better indicator of testing the performance of a variety as a potential source of bioethanol, mainly due to a negative correlation of stem juiciness and sucrose content in the varieties tested. Further, the relative expression of vacuolar invertase genes, SbINV1 and SbINV2, was studied, and a strong negative correlation of SbINV2 to stem sucrose content was observed. This reveals a possibility of involvement of vacuolar invertase gene, SbINV2, in sugar accumulation in sweet sorghum stems, and as a key candidate for molecular breeding studies for higher stem sugar content.

Development of dual purpose sorghum: correlation and path-coefficient analysis of grain yield and stem sugar traits

Information on the relationship between grain yield, stem sugar and biomass is important in developing dualpurpose sorghums. The objective of this study was to determine, correlations and path-coefficients between grain yield and stem sugar traits. The study was conducted using 100 sorghum genotypes evaluated in six environments in southern Africa. Grain yield, the dependent variable, was positively and significantly (P<0.05) correlated with stem sugar, stem biomass, days to 50% flowering, number of leaves per plant, plant height and stem diameter. Grain yield was negatively significantly (P<0.05) correlated with stem juice score (r = -0.049), suggesting that high grain yielding cultivars are generally low in stalk juice. However, the significance of the positive correlation coefficient between grain yield and stem sugar (r = 0.071) suggested that the traits are not mutually exclusive. The identification of hybrids that combined high performance for both traits supported this. Path-coefficient analysis revealed that the number of leaves per plant had high, positive direct effect on grain yield, implying that selection for high performance in this trait improves grain yield. In contrast to the overall correlation coefficient, stem sugar had a negative direct effect on grain yield; suggesting that selection for high stem sugar content directly reduces grain yield. However, this was masked by the indirect effect, hence the significant positive and significant (P<0.001) correlation coefficient between the two traits. Key Words : Plant height, stem biomass, stem juice

PROMOCIÓN DE BIOMASA Y CONTENIDO DE AZÚCARES EN SORGO DULCE MEDIANTE ABONOS ORGÁNICOS Y MICORRIZA ARBUSCULAR

Sweet sorghum ( Sorghum bicolor ) is a crop that can be used to produce sugar, alcohol and biofuel. Synthetic fertilization has covered the nutritional needs of the crop. With the purpose of reducing the use of fertilizers, the effectiveness of the seed inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Rhizophagus intraradices (micorriza INIFAP) plus half dose of conventional synthetic fertilizer, chicken manure (Meyfer) (3 t/has),full synthetic fertilization (N 120 kg/ha and P 40 kg/ha) and an absolute control without inoculation and fertilization treatment, was evaluated. The variables measured were chlorophyll, leaf, panicle and stem biomass, as well as stem sugar content (Brix degrees) in every two internodes. The application of chicken manure or inoculation of mycorrhiza INIFAP plus half the synthetic fertilization, promoted the response of sweet sorghum in terms of stem biomass and sugar content so that they were similar to the treatment with full fertilization. The results indicate that the implementation of mycorrhizal inoculation in sweet sorghum may represent a more environmentally friendly management. Inoculation with mycorrhizal inoculant INIFAP plus half synthetic fertilization was the fertilization management with the lowest cost ($1217/ha) for sweet sorghum production.

Identification and transcriptomic profiling of genes involved in increasing sugar content during salt stress in sweet sorghum leaves.

BackgroundSweet sorghum is an annual C4 crop considered to be one of the most promising bio-energy crops due to its high sugar content in stem, yet it is poorly understood how this plant increases its sugar content in response to salt stress. In response to high NaCl, many of its major processes, such as photosynthesis, protein synthesis, energy and lipid metabolism, are inhibited. Interestingly, sugar content in sweet sorghum stems remains constant or even increases in several salt-tolerant species.ResultsIn this study, the transcript profiles of two sweet sorghum inbred lines (salt-tolerant M-81E and salt-sensitive Roma) were analyzed in the presence of 0 mM or 150 mM NaCl in order to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that lead to higher sugar content during salt stress. We identified 864 and 930 differentially expressed genes between control plants and those subjected to salt stress in both M-81E and Roma strains. We determined that the majority of these genes are involved in photosynthesis, carbon fixation, and starch and sucrose metabolism. Genes important for maintaining photosystem structure and for regulating electron transport were less affected by salt stress in the M-81E line compared to the salt-sensitive Roma line. In addition, expression of genes encoding NADP+-malate enzyme and sucrose synthetase was up-regulated and expression of genes encoding invertase was down-regulated under salt stress in M-81E. In contrast, the expression of these genes showed the opposite trend in Roma under salt stress.ConclusionsThe results we obtained revealed that the salt-tolerant genotype M-81E leads to increased sugar content under salt stress by protecting important structures of photosystems, by enhancing the accumulation of photosynthetic products, by increasing the production of sucrose synthetase and by inhibiting sucrose decomposition.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1760-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Farmers perceptions on dual-purpose sorghum and it’s potential in Zambia

Food feed crops play a cardinal role in mixed crop-livestock production systems yet views of farmers on their usage are limited. Farmers’ perceptions in predominant sorghum growing areas of Zambia were solicited on socio-economic factors affecting sorghum production, awareness and willingness to adopt dual-purpose sorghum cultivars for food and feed. Preferred traits of a “model” dual-purpose cultivar were identified. The aim of the study was to generate information that would support the genetic improvement of dual-purpose sorghum. Questionnaires were used to generate this information. Results showed that less than 50% of sorghum growing SSFs had limited knowledge on the use of sorghum to produce feed silage; however, there was full awareness among the LSFs. Among other traits, farmers’ “ideal” variety should combine high grain yield potential (100 %) with high biomass (100 % of LSFs and 80 % of SSFs) and high stem sugar content (100 % of LSF and 70 % of SSFs). All the SSFs and 20 % of the LSFs indicated that adequate production could be hampered by low grain yield, poor access to improved seed and unavailability of farmers’- preferred cultivars. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/ijarit.v4i2.22654 Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. &amp; Tech. 4 (2): 76-81, December, 2014

Effects of the genotype and environment interaction on sugar accumulation in sweet sorghum varieties (Sorghum bicolor [L.] Moench) grown in the lowland tropics of Colombia

Sugar production in sweet sorghums is affected by the environment. Therefore, in this study on the effects of the genotype x environment interaction on sugar accumulation, plant traits associated with the sugar content in the stem were evaluated in ten sorghum genotypes grown in six contrasting environments. The results indicated that the stem dry weight, juice sugar concentration (°Brix), stem sugar content and juice volume were controlled by the genetic constitution of the genotype, with a large environmental contribution to their expression. The results allowed for the identification of the sweet sorghum genotypes that have a high potential for the biofuel agroindustry due to their high sugar contents in the environmental conditions of Palmira, Espinal, Cerete and Codazzi. Humid tropical environments such as Gaitan and Villavicencio were less favorable for the competitive production of sweet sorghums for bioethanol due to their low levels of solar radiation and soil fertility.