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ARS Home » Plains Area » Lubbock, Texas » Cropping Systems Research Laboratory » Plant Stress and Germplasm Development Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #401989
Research Project: Discovery and Improvement of Traits to Enhance Sorghum as a Multiple Purpose Crop

Location: Plant Stress and Germplasm Development Research

Title: Variations in total protein and amino acids in the sequenced sorghum mutant library

Author
item KHAN, ADIL - Texas Tech University
item KHAN, NASIR ALI - Texas Tech University
item Bean, Scott
item Chen, Junping
item Xin, Zhanguo
item JIAO, YINPING - Texas Tech University

Submitted to: Plants
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/12/2023
Publication Date: 3/15/2023
Citation: Khan, A., Khan, N., Bean, S.R., Chen, J., Xin, Z., Jiao, Y. 2023. Variations in total protein and amino acids in the sequenced sorghum mutant library. Plants. 12(8). https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12081662.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12081662

Interpretive Summary: ARS scientists, in collaboration with Texas Tech University, analyzed 206 sorghum mutants for seed storage protein and amino acids using wet chemistry. Sorghum is the 5th most significant cereal crop, but its use in food and feed products is restricted by its grain quality. The study discovered three mutants with almost double the protein content of the non-mutated parent and several lines with increased lysine content, an essential amino acid. These identified mutants could be a valuable genetic resource for improving sorghum grain quality. The research is important for the sorghum and feed industries.

Technical Abstract: Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) is the fifth most important cereal crops, however utilization of sorghum in food products is limited by several aspects of its grain quality. Low content of essential amino acids and less digestibility is greatly influenced by the composition of sorghum seed storage protein, known as kafirins. Here, we report a core collection of 206 sorghum mutant lines with altered seed storage protein. Wet lab chemistry analysis was performed to evaluate the total protein and 23 amino acids including 19 protein-bound and 4 non-protein amino acids. We found mutant lines with diverse composition of essential and non-essential amino acids. The highest total protein content in these lines was close to the highest level observed in grain sorghum. The mutants identified in the current study could provide a useful genetic resource for improving quality of sorghum seeds in the future.