SorghumBase blog

PAG33 Highlights: Advancing Genomic Resources, FAIR Data, and Crop Trait Discovery

• 30 January 2026

The International Plant and Animal Genome conference (PAG33) took place on January 9-14, 2026 in San Diego, California. The meeting focused on fostering an opportunity to exchange ideas and share recent developments and future plans for plant & animal genome projects through technical presentations, poster sessions, exhibits and workshops. This conference brought together over 3000 leading plant and animal scientists and researchers, and over 100 exhibits, 200 workshops, 700 posters.

Three-Part Data Reproducibility Workshop Series! February 9-11, 2026 ​9:00 AM PST / 12:00 PM EST

• 28 January 2026

The Data Management and Infrastructure and Single-Cell Sequencing committees of the Plant Cell Atlas are organizing a workshop series that aims to equip participants with essential skills and knowledge to achieve the critical goal of ensuring data reproducibility in single-cell research,

CSI Seminar Brent Crafton, Lanier Dabruzzi, Shelee Padgett and Zach Simon Jan 13 at 11 AM CT

• 08 January 2026

The Center for Sorghum Improvement (CSI) will host a virtual seminar given by Brent Crafton, Lanier Dabruzzi, Shelee Padgett and Zach Simon, members of the Sorghum Checkoff Marketing Team, on Tuesday, January 13 at 11:00 AM CT. Their talk, “Moving

Guard Cell-Targeted TOR Expression Enhances Drought Tolerance and Water Use Efficiency in Arabidopsis

• 30 January 2026

Guard cell-specific expression of AtTOR enhances drought tolerance and water use efficiency in Arabidopsis by reducing transpirational water loss while maintaining or improving photosynthetic performance through modulation of stomatal function and ABA-related signaling pathways.

Uncovering Novel Regulators of Flowering Time in Temperate-Adapted Sorghum Through Integrated Genomic and Transcriptomic Analyses

• 29 January 2026

Researchers identified novel genetic regulators of flowering time in temperate-adapted, photoperiod-insensitive sorghum using expanded genome-wide and transcriptome-wide association analyses, revealing key roles for FT, MADS-box, and ageing pathway genes beyond the classical maturity loci.

Meristem Diversity and Innovation in Cereal Crops: Implications for Architecture, Stress Resilience, and Improvement

• 28 January 2026

This review highlights how cereal-specific meristems, such as those in sorghum, contribute to complex plant architectures and offer new targets for crop improvement through advanced genomic tools.

High-Throughput, Nondestructive Grain Quality Analysis in Sorghum

• 09 January 2026

Understanding sorghum grain quality is essential for breeding, food innovation, and industrial applications. Traits such as protein, starch composition, oil content, tannins, and phenolic compounds directly influence nutritional value, processing behavior, and end use. However, traditional laboratory assays are slow,

Sorghum in Fermentation: New Insights into Genetics, Grain Traits, and Microbial Interactions from Baijiu to African Traditional Beers

• 05 August 2025

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) has long played a central role in the production of fermented beverages across continents, from West African dolo and pito to Chinese baijiu and emerging gluten-free craft beers in the West. A wave of recent research is shedding light on how sorghum’s grain properties, microbial interactions during fermentation, and genetic diversity influence the quality and sustainability of these beverages.

Unlocking Sorghum’s Potential in Skin Care and Antioxidant Applications: A New Frontier for Kafirin Peptides

• 15 July 2025

In recent years, sorghum has gained increasing attention not just as a climate-resilient staple crop, but also as a source of high-value bioactive compounds with applications beyond the food and feed sectors. A growing body of research highlights the potential of sorghum storage proteins—particularly kafirins—as a sustainable source of antioxidant peptides and cosmeceutical ingredients.