Location: Grain Quality and Structure Research
Project Number: 3020-43440-002-029-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 1, 2022
End Date: Aug 31, 2025
Objective:
The objective is to 1) establish to standards for phenotyping and data records that will support community contributions of phenotypic data to the SorghumBase, and 2) develop a gold standard phenotyping data record for the widely utilized sorghum association panel (SAP).
Approach:
The sorghum association panel (SAP) will be planted in three locations – Manhattan, KS, Florence, SC, and Lubbock, TX. Collaborators will establish a core set of breeder phenotypes and grain quality scores with accompanying standards for protocols and data records including metadata and annotations.
The project will deploy these standards in the development of a gold standard phenotypic data set for the widely utilized SAP genetic resource. Genotypic data is widely available for the SAP, and many programs utilize the community resource to test hypotheses regarding the genetic diversity of the crop. Phenotyping of the SAP has occurred countless times, with few additive opportunities to leverage these efforts due to lack of standard protocols. The acquisition of genomic resources relies on association of phenotypes with genetics. This gold standard phenotypic data set will be developed by mid-career sorghum breeders that utilize genomic enabled approaches. This workforce is ideally representative of future users and contributors of the SorghumBase.
An important facet of the gold standard phenotypic data will be accompaniment of agronomic phenotypes with grain quality phenotypes. To overcome the barrier for market viable grain quality sorghum technologies, selections must occur with the dual phenotypic targets of agronomic stability and yield, and improvement of quality expression. Grain samples will be harvested and sent to the USDA ARS Center for Grain and Animal Health Research in Manhattan, Kansas for phenotyping of grain quality attributes and for use as datapoints in the development of NIR calibrations.
