Research Highlights

Improving iWUE in sorghum involves balancing water conservation and productivity through genetic traits, particularly aquaporin-linked mechanisms, that enhance photosynthesis and hydraulic efficiency under varying water conditions.

Researchers showed that mutating the Lsi1 Si transporter in sorghum increases lignin content in mature plants, suggesting a compensatory response for reduced silica that could be useful in developing bioenergy crops with optimized lignin and lower Si content.

Researchers revealed that lncRNAs, particularly lncRNA 15962 and lncRNA 11558, play critical roles in regulating cell wall metabolism and Cd transporter gene expression, respectively, contributing to Cd stress responses in sweet sorghum.

The sbyr1 mutant in sorghum, with a Thr4Met mutation in the SbYR1 NLR protein, enhances resistance to head smut disease while inhibiting growth by regulating hormone synthesis and flavonoid metabolism.

Expressing AdoMetase in sorghum reduces lignin content and improves sugar release for biofuel production, though it also causes growth limitations and impacts other metabolic pathways.

Tropical soils’ low phosphate availability and aluminum toxicity constrain sorghum cultivation, making P efficiency and root system architecture critical for enhancing grain yield in these challenging environments.

Sorghum is a nutrient-dense, drought-tolerant crop with significant health benefits, making it a sustainable and valuable ingredient for human food innovation.

Researchers used single-cell ATAC-seq data to investigate the evolution of cis-regulatory elements (CREs) associated with C4 photosynthesis, revealing a mix of conserved and novel chromatin accessibility regions that drive cell-type-specific expression of C4 enzymes.

The development of pollen exine is highly conserved across Poaceae, though surface ornamentation varies among species, with the gene EPAD1 playing a key role in exine patterning in some clades but not others.

Scientists from Northwest A&F University in China studied how different concentrations of PEG affect sweet sorghum’s growth and stress response, revealing that the upregulation of genes involved in osmolyte biosynthesis, including sugars and amino acids, enhances the plant’s tolerance to water scarcity.