Researchers investigated sorghum’s proteomic responses to combined drought and heat stress, identifying key differentially expressed proteins and molecular pathways that contribute to its resilience, with insights that may aid future crop improvement.
Tandem duplication of Rca genes in grasses, combined with transposable element insertions harboring heat shock elements, has driven species-specific adaptations to heat stress, enabling improved thermal tolerance and photosynthetic performance.
Research shows that the TALE transcription factors in Sorghum bicolor regulate growth, development, and stress responses, showing evolutionary conservation, tissue-specific expression, and hormone-induced activity.
The evolution of C4 photosynthesis involved the co-option of ancestral transcriptional networks and cis-regulatory elements, enhancing efficiency in carbon fixation and offering insights for engineering C4 traits in C3 crops.
Research on brachytic mutants, including the SbMYB110 gene in sorghum and its maize ortholog ZmMYB78, demonstrates that genetic regulation of plant height through internode elongation and hormonal pathways can enhance crop resilience and yield, offering valuable strategies for modern agricultural breeding.
Recent genomic studies highlight the higher diversity and specialized regulatory adaptations of photosynthetic genes in C4 plants like sorghum and foxtail millet, compared to CAM plants, providing insights for improving crop resilience and productivity.
Researchers demonstrated how coupling EMS mutagenesis with sequencing accelerates gene identification and validation in sorghum, revealing a conserved bHLH transcription factor essential for male fertility and highlighting broader applications for crop improvement and functional genomics.
Developing carotenoid-rich sorghum varieties using grain color as a proxy for carotenoid levels, combined with marker-assisted selection, offers a promising strategy to combat vitamin A deficiency in vulnerable populations.
