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ARS Home » Plains Area » College Station, Texas » Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center » Crop Germplasm Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #365487
Research Project: Genetic Improvement of Perennial Warm-Season Grasses as Forage, Bioenergy, Turf, and Value-added Bioproducts within Sustainable Cropping Systems

Location: Crop Germplasm Research

Title: Characterization of novel, perennial, tetraploid Sorghum bicolor x S. propinquum hybrids

Author
item PORTER, N - Texas A&M University
item Burson, Byron
item STELLY, DAVID - Texas A&M University
item FOSTER, T - Texas A&M University
item JESSUP, RUSSELL - Texas A&M University

Submitted to: Agronomy Society of America, Crop Science Society of America, Soil Science Society of America Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/11/2019
Publication Date: 11/12/2019
Citation: Porter, N., Burson, B.L., Stelly, D., Foster, T., Jessup, R. 2019. Characterization of novel, perennial, tetraploid Sorghum bicolor x S. propinquum hybrids [abstract]. Agronomy Society of America, Crop Science Society of America, Soil Science Society of America Meeting. November 10-13, 2019, San Antonio, Texas. 359:1508.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Potential future water scarcity will require new solutions. A perennial sorghum would provide a potential low maintenance, drought tolerant, high yielding forage or bioenergy crop. A novel induced tetraploid (2n=4x=40), interspecific Sorghum bicolor (annual) x S. propinquum (perennial) hybrid was characterized in the F2 and F3 generations. Eighteen percent of the F2 population overwintered at College Station, Texas. Transgressive segregation was observed for some traits such as height, leaf width, and stalk diameter. Selections will be made for further breeding based primarily on perennialism followed by superior forage or bioenergy characteristics. Cytological characterization revealed that hybridizing S. bicolor with S. propinquum at the tetraploid level results in occasional meiotic abnormalities, most commonly quadrivalents. Additionally, pollen viability was found to be reduced, however not significantly affecting seed set. Resulting germplasm should provide an improved base for the development of a commercially viable perennial sorghum.