Flavonoid compounds — produced by the roots of some sorghum plants — positively affect soil microorganisms, according to Penn State researchers, who suggest the discovery is an early step in developing a frost-resistant line of the valuable crop for North American farmers.
Flavonoid compounds — produced by the roots of some sorghum plants — positively affect soil microorganisms, according to Penn State researchers, who suggest the discovery is an early step in developing a frost-resistant line of the valuable crop for North American farmers.
That is important because sorghum is a crop that can respond to climate change because of its high water- and nitrogen-use efficiency, according to Surinder Chopra, professor of maize genetics, and Mary Ann Bruns, professor of soil microbiology. A close relative to corn, it is the fifth most valuable cereal crop globally.
“Sorghum can be used for human food and animal feed and also can be grown as a bioenergy crop, producing more ethanol than corn when grown on marginal lands,” they said. “Sorghum is better adapted than corn to stresses such as drought, salinity and heat. But increased sorghum production requires increasing its tolerance to chilling and frost stress, and this is especially true for the northeastern U.S.”
To reach its full potential, sorghum needs to grow five months after being planted in the first week of June. If a frost occurs in early October — which is not unusual in the U.S. Northeast — farmers can be devastated. Because sorghum is so sensitive to being chilled, even a mild frost or an early cold snap can kill the crop.
Read more at Pennsylvania State University
Image: Researchers collecting soil associated with roots of different sorghum lines (after frost). These soil samples were then subjected to sequencing for the identification of microbes. Seen here are graduate students Mara Cloutier (front right) and Debamalya Chatterjee (back right) working with Plant Genetics and Biotech undergraduate students Jillian Smothergill (front left) and Jeff Prusch (back left). (Credit: Surinder Chopra, Penn State)
