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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Sustainable Perennial Crops Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #412532
Research Project: Genotypic Characterization of Genetic Resources for Cacao, Coffee, and Other Tropical Perennial Crops Economically Important to the United States

Location: Sustainable Perennial Crops Laboratory

Title: Genome-wide association study of seed morphology-related traits in sorghum mini core and Senegalese lines

Author
item Ahn, Ezekiel
item Park, Sunchung - Sun
item HU, ZHENBIN - Non ARS Employee
item ELLUR, VISHNUTEJ - Washington State University
item CHA, MINHYEOK - Korea University
item YOONJUNG, LEE - University Of Minnesota
item Prom, Louis
item MAGILL, CLINT - Texas A&M University

Submitted to: Crops
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/7/2024
Publication Date: 4/11/2024
Citation: Ahn, E.J., Park, S., Hu, Z., Ellur, V., Cha, M., Yoonjung, L., Prom, L.K., Magill, C. 2024. Genome-wide association study of seed morphology-related traits in sorghum mini core and Senegalese lines. Crops. 4:156–171. https://doi.org/10.3390/crops4020012.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/crops4020012

Interpretive Summary: Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench], despite its global ranking as the fifth most important cereal crop, hasn't been fully explored for agronomically crucial traits like seed morphology (size, shape, and color). Mini core and Senegalese accessions, while extensively studied for disease resistance, hold untapped potential for improving these seed characteristics. Recognizing the significant influence of seed morphology on yield, quality, and market value, this study analyzed eight key seed morphology traits in 115 mini core and 130 Senegalese germplasm accessions. The collected data was linked to genomic data, and intensive statistical analysis was conducted to identify potential genes linked to seed morphology, resulting in successful identifications of numerous candidate genes influencing seed morphology. These findings can be a key component for future sorghum breeding programs aiming to tailor seed characteristics.

Technical Abstract: Despite its global importance, limited research has explored the valuable mini core and Senegalese sorghum germplasm for seed morphology traits, crucial for yield and market value. This study investigated eight size, shape, and color parameters in 115 mini core and 130 Senegalese accessions, analyzing over 24,000 seeds followed by statistical analyses exploring potential associations between these traits and resistance to three major sorghum diseases: anthracnose, head smut, and downy mildew. The phenotypic data were combined with over 290,000 publicly available single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) throughout the genome to perform Genome-wide association studies regarding the traits. Mapping top candidate SNPs to the reference genome identified multiple genes potentially associated with seed morphology.