EU sets course for sorghum

The European Union is actively promoting sorghum cultivation as a climate-resilient crop, increasing overall sorghum production by 57% over the past decade. France in particular is at the forefront of this trend, with 103,000 hectares devoted to grain sorghum cultivation last year. Meanwhile, Spain is a major importer of sorghum in Europe, mainly for animal feed, but has plans to develop food applications in the future.

In a series of three recent studies, the Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG) team, led by Ana I. Caño-Delgado, has made significant progress in understanding the molecular mechanisms and improving the breeding of sorghum, the fifth most widely grown cereal in the world, which is particularly important in arid and semi-arid regions.

The importance of this cereal lies in its role in the future of human and animal nutrition, providing a sustainable alternative for areas facing water shortages.

Sorghum is increasingly recognized as a staple food in many parts of the world, including outside Africa, where it has been grown for centuries for its many nutritional benefits and resilience to adverse climatic conditions.

In the European Union, sorghum cultivation is on the rise and is being promoted as an alternative to crop rotation, especially in regions prone to water scarcity. In 2020, 158,000 tonnes of sorghum were imported to Spain, so increasing its cultivation in the territory could reduce dependence on imports.

CRAG research is at the forefront of sorghum science, focusing on further improving its adaptability to stress conditions and improving its handling in the laboratory for future breeding processes.

The research group led by Ana I. Caño-Delgado has been dedicated to the study of this cereal for the past 20 years and has received numerous grants, including from the European Research Council (ERC). In the last six months, the group has published three scientific papers of major importance to the sector.

Unlocking the genetic secrets of sorghum

In the first of these three studies, published in the Plant Biotechnology Journal, the research team identified that mutations in the Sorghum bicolor brassinosteroid protein, SbBRI1, confer drought tolerance by altering phenylpropanoid metabolism. This discovery highlights a molecular mechanism for enhancing drought tolerance in sorghum, a critical trait for climate-resilient agriculture.

The second paper, published in The Plant Journal , details a significant advance in sorghum biotechnology: an efficient method for transforming sorghum using a triple vector system combined with morphogenetics.

Previous tools and methods have been inefficient in targeting specific sorghum varieties, presenting a significant challenge for scientists and breeders. This new protocol addresses this issue by enabling highly efficient transformation using Agrobacterium tumefaciens and enables the application of new breeding techniques, such as gene editing, to accelerate crop improvement.

This technology provides a useful tool for generating and studying mutants of interest with very high transformation efficiency in recalcitrant sorghum (varieties resistant to genetic transformation), achieving a two-fold increase in transformation efficiency.

Juan B. Fontane-Manzaneque, lead author of both studies, emphasized the significance of these breakthroughs in sorghum breeding: “Our goal was to provide the sorghum growing community not only with advanced molecular tools to accelerate sorghum breeding, but also with some key target genes needed to develop drought-tolerant crops.”

A third study, published in New Phytologist, characterizes the role of SbBRI1 in root development, particularly in the meristem region, linking BRI1 to cell wall metabolism and demonstrating that the sorghum protein SbBRI1 plays functionally conserved roles in plant growth and development.

Root development is critical to overall plant growth and health, and plays a role in how the plant responds to environmental stressors.

Andres Rico-Medina, first author of the study, explained the methodology: “We adapted staining and imaging protocols used for model plants such as Arabidopsis for use in sorghum research.”

He also noted: “This adaptation bridges the gap between laboratory drought studies and more agronomic contexts, thereby facilitating the practical application of these scientific advances.”

Socioeconomic Opportunities of Sorghum

Sorghum is increasingly seen as an important crop for climate change adaptation due to its tolerance to high temperatures and drought, especially compared to maize, which is the most widely grown cereal crop in Europe and is very susceptible to water stress. Research shows that the importance of sorghum in Europe is expected to increase due to climate change.

In addition, expanding sorghum cultivation, for example in Spain, could create new economic opportunities for farmers by reducing reliance on imports and stimulating local agricultural production. In Catalonia, more than 100,000 tons of sorghum were produced in 2023, more than 90% destined for animal feed.

Sorghum is a naturally gluten-free cereal, which is particularly relevant in the food industry. Its adaptability and high nutritional value make it a key crop for improving food security.

The growing demand for sorghum for human consumption, which is set to increase by around 6% in 2024, highlights its potential to improve nutrition, especially when research leads to new sorghum varieties.

Ana I. Caño-Delgado, team leader, said: “This research represents a significant opportunity for CRAG to create technology transfer projects, stimulate public-private collaborations and showcase the excellent work of our researchers.”

These three scientific achievements by CRAG researchers not only pave the way for more sustainable and productive sorghum cultivation, but also mark an important step forward in addressing global food security and nutrition challenges. Moreover, these discoveries are relevant for other staple crops such as maize, wheat and rice, as they also contain brassinosteroid signaling pathways. This creates an opportunity for climate-smart agriculture with more resilient and sustainable varieties.

Tags: EU, sorghum