The 18th annual International Biocuration Conference was held in Kansas City, Missouri, April 5-9. This event brought together biocurators, software developers and users of life sciences and clinical data to share their work, encourage collaboration, and highlight the essential curatorial efforts that support research and innovation across academia, government, and industry.
Identifying Genetic Loci for Anthracnose Resistance in Ethiopian Sorghum Germplasms: A Multi-Environment GWAS Study
Birhanu et al. identified key genetic loci associated with anthracnose resistance in Ethiopian sorghum germplasms, highlighting its potential as a valuable resource for breeding resistant sorghum varieties.
Differential Genetic Responses to Drought Stress in C3 and C4 Plants: Insights for Enhancing Crop Resilience
Research reveals that drought stress disrupts photosynthesis by down-regulating key genes in C3 (wheat) and C4 (sorghum) plants, with wheat exhibiting greater susceptibility, highlighting potential genetic targets for improving drought tolerance in crops.
Hormonal Regulation of Sugar Transport Drives Salt Tolerance Through Strategic Resource Allocation in Sorghum
Salt tolerance in sorghum is closely linked to hormone-regulated sugar transporter expression that controls resource allocation between roots, stems, and grains during development, enabling stress-resilient genotypes like Della to delay sodium translocation and sustain metabolic balance.
Comprehensive Evaluation of Low-Nitrogen Tolerance in Sorghum: Key Traits for Enhanced Nitrogen Efficiency and Adaptation
Liu et al. evaluated the low-nitrogen tolerance of 100 sorghum genotypes, identifying key morphological, photosynthetic, and metabolic traits that enhance nitrogen efficiency and improve adaptation to nutrient-limited environments.
Distinct Roles of Brassinosteroid Receptors BRI1 and BRL3 in Sorghum Drought Tolerance
This study reveals that while brassinosteroid receptors BRI1 and BRL3 both impact drought response, BRL3 promotes drought tolerance in sorghum through osmotic protection, whereas BRI1 signaling is associated with drought susceptibility due to growth-related sensitivities.
Building a Transdisciplinary Agricultural Single-Cell Genomics Community: Highlights from the AG2PI-AgBioData Workshop
On March 29–30, 2025, the AG2PI Single Cell Workshop Organizing Committee and AgBioData Single Cell Biocuration Working Group co-hosted an in-person workshop dedicated to advancing agricultural single-cell genomics. The event brought together a dynamic group of researchers, bioinformaticians, and data curators at the forefront of plant and animal single-cell biology.
AGBT Agricultural Meeting 2025: Elevating Genomic Innovation in Agriculture
The Advances in Genome Biology and Technology (AGBT) Agricultural Meeting 2025 took place from March 31 to April 2 in Orlando, Florida. This annual event convened leading genome researchers, data scientists, breeders, policy influencers, funders, and technology innovators from around the world to discuss the integration of genomics in agriculture.
BM41 Kinase: A Key Regulator of Cuticular Wax Biosynthesis and Stress Response in Sorghum
A bloomless mutant gene in sorghum was implicated in regulating cuticular wax biosynthesis, linking environmental stress signals to wax production pathways that enhance drought resistance.
Genetic Regulation of the Multiple-Grain Spikelet Trait in Sorghum: Insights into MGS1 and Its Role in Enhancing Grain Yield
The MGS1 gene in sorghum, encoding a MIKC-type MADS-box transcription factor, regulates the multiple-grain spikelet (MGS) trait, with natural mutations like mgs19E and mgs1BA45 significantly increasing grain yield by producing adjacent double-pistil primordia.