Breeding for Adaptation

Problem

How can farmers battle unpredictable weather patterns to prevent crop loss?

• Sorghum is the fifth most valuable cereal crop globally and can be used for human food, animal feed, and bioenergy. However, even a mild frost can reduce yield and grain quality.

Findings

Earlier research had shown that flavonoids produced by the roots of some sorghum plants allow the plant to adapt and survive when exposed to stresses such as fungi, insect feeding, or frost. Researchers grew selected lines of sorghum to test whether interactions between flavonoids and soil microbes can influence the plant's ability to adapt when it perceives cold or frost above ground.

• Researchers found evidence that plant genetic variation influences root flavonoids as well as the composition of the soil microbial community in the vicinity of the plant roots and that low temperatures affect these relationships.

Impact

The study's findings can lead to developing a frost-resistant line of this crop, reducing the crops' vulnerability and helping to ensure protection from changing weather to maximize farmers' profits.

Research Credit

Team

• Mara Cloutier, Debamalya Chatterjee, Dinakaran Elango, Jin Cui, Mary Ann Bruns, Surinder Chopra

Participating Departments

• Ecosystem Science and Management
• Plant Science

Partner

• Penn State Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center

Competitive Funding

• USDA NIFA (Sun Grant Program)
• USDA NIFA (AFRI)
• USDA NIFA (Crop Protection and Pest Management)
• Indian Council of Agricultural Research

Federal and State Appropriations

• USDA NIFA Hatch Projects PEN04330, PEN04613, PEN04402, and PEN04571, Accession #0218342, #1010654, #0222582, and #1003346

Emerging Discoveries

Flavonoids' presence in sorghum roots may lead to frost-resistant crop

August 10, 2020

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.

Published Research

Sorghum root flavonoid chemistry, cultivar, and frost stress effects on rhizosphere bacteria and fungi.

• Cloutier, M., Chatterjee, D., Elango, D., Cui, J., Bruns, M. V., & Chopra, S. (2021). Sorghum root flavonoid chemistry, cultivar, and frost stress effects on rhizosphere bacteria and fungi. Phytobiomes Journal, 5(1), 39-50. https://doi.org/10.1094/PBIOMES-01-20-0013-FI