NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: Sorghum is a drought-tolerant, non-GMO crop used for food and feed production around the world.The U.S. is the world's largest sorghum producer, with a staggering 7.31 million acres planted in2021. Despite this, the acreage dedicated to organic sorghum in the U.S. is extremely limited. Thisproposal is motivated by urgent demands from stakeholders to develop drought and pest-tolerantsorghum cultivars suitable for organic production. Other important issues such as the availability ofirrigation water, soil deterioration in certified organic lands, and the desire to diversify farmenterprises have highlighted the necessity for this project. Our four-year project engagesresearchers in major sorghum-producing states (Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas) and potential states,such as South Carolina and California, to address significant gaps. The long-term goal of thisproject is to identify high-performing grain and forage sorghum varieties under organicmanagement, and successfully integrate sorghum into existing organic cropping systems wheresorghum is a significant commodity or has the potential to be a novel inclusion. Our project willdeliver new organic sorghum varieties, innovative management practices, and insights into theeconomic, market, and climate-smart potential of sorghum-based organic crop rotations. We willfoster a community of individuals equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed inthe growing organic agricultural industry through our education approach. Our efforts to advancethe science of organic sorghum production and outreach will not only benefit growers, includingHispanic growers but also contribute to a more sustainable and resilient organic cropping system.
OBJECTIVES: The goal of this project is to identify high-performing grain and forage sorghum varieties under organic management, and successfully integrate sorghum into existing organic cropping systems to expand grain and silage production in regions where sorghum is a significant commodity or has the potential to be a novel inclusion. To achieve this, we believe that it is crucial to conduct extensive research and outreach that delves into suitable cultivars, effective management practices, the benefits of improved soil health, production economics, and market opportunities. Our interdisciplinary team includes researchers from seven institutions across five states, including Texas A&M University, Kansas State University, Oklahoma State University, Clemson University, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Prairie View A&M University, and the University of California. The specific objectives of this project are based on our interactions with stakeholders (discussed previously).The specific objectives of the project include:1. Improve sorghum hybrids for adaptation to organic production conditions.Identify sorghum parental lines with high levels of genetic resistance to biotic stress to common sorghum diseases and insects. Specific target traits include resistance or tolerance to anthracnose, grain weathering, and the sorghum aphid.Screen sorghum parental lines and hybrids for abiotic stress tolerances including but not limited to water stress (primarily post-flowering), and nutrient deficiency (low N). Evaluate forage and grain sorghum hybrids for productivity in organic production systems and assess if performance is correlated with conventional systems in sorghum growing regions with varying climates ranging from subtropical to semi-arid.2.Identify and release hybrids for organic grain and silage sorghum production (Leads: Rooney, Boyles, Perumal, and Atim).Development of genomic prediction to select sorghum genetics that are optimized for organic cropping systems.Develop agronomic management practices and tools for organic grain and silage production aimed at improving soil fertility, soil organic matter, soil health, and weed control.Investigate integrated cover cropping, manure, and tillage management practices for sorghum grain and silage production.Evaluate soil health and multifunctionality in organic sorghum production systems.Investigate the potential climate-smart benefits of organic sorghum.Develop precision weed management practices and tactics for organic sorghum systems.3. Assess the economic benefits of organic sorghum and its marketing potential as a combined climate-smart and organic commodity.Conduct an economic feasibility study of organic sorghum production as a rotational crop.Determine current and potential marketing opportunities and constraints for the expansion of organic sorghum production.4. Develop and implement educational programs promoting organic sorghum production.Establish a collaborative undergraduate research program on organic sorghum in partnership with land grant and minority institutions, growers, and industries.Equip students with team-oriented and leadership skills to help them engage with the wider private-public sector opportunities in the agricultural industry.Create educational materials in Spanish that support Hispanic growers in successfully transitioning to and producing organic sorghum.Develop experiential and transformative openly accessible digital curricula for farmers and Extension professionals and perform impact assessments to determine increases in knowledge, information use, and resulting outcomes.5. Develop farmer-oriented extension programs to assist established and transitioning producers to expand acreage, increase production, and avail new carbon credit opportunities.Develop extension programs to facilitate the dissemination of organic sorghum production strategies based on scientific research to sorghum producers.Organize annual "Women in Ag" workshops tailored to support female students, farmers, and entrepreneurs.Develop innovative extension programs that effectively communicate emerging opportunities in climate-smart agriculture and carbon credit market to organic sorghum producers.
APPROACH: For objective 1, existing sorghum germplasm will be evaluated to identify lines best suited for organic production. The traits of emphasis will include but are not limited to disease and pest resistance, abiotic stress tolerance as well as agronomic adaptation. Sorghum lines for both forage and grain will be screened and the best lines will be used to produce hybrids for evaluation.In objective 2, we will establishlarge-scale organic systems experiments at four locations that cover the major sorghum-producing states of Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Additionally, we will conduct smaller-scale demonstrations in collaboration with certified organic sorghum growers.We will collect data from the above field experiments to assess soil health and soil multifunctionality.To determine baseline carbon status, we will collect soil samples from 0-30 cm depth from a minimum of 10 certified growers' organic fields without sorghum in each study region where agronomic experiments will be conducted. Finally, we will explore a number of organic strategies to manage weed problems which include allelopathy and precision weed management with image analysis.In objective 3,our project will gather experimental data and insights from organic growers to develop customized enterprise crop budgets for organic sorghum as a rotational crop. The economic feasibility analysis will assess the two primary uses of organic sorghum: grain and silage.Enterprise crop budgets will be utilized to determine the probability of economic success of organic sorghum (i.e., chances of obtaining a positive net return) using Monte Carlo simulation techniques. This will factor in inherent production and market risks, such as input and product prices, transportation costs, labor, and other relevant production costs, including newly developed organic management practices.In objective 4, our project will provide training opportunities for undergraduate students to equip them with the skills, knowledge, and experience necessary to succeed in both academic and non-academic careers. Each year, we will recruit seven undergraduate research scholars across the entire project and engage them in undergraduate research and leadership development programs. To address the lack of educational materials in Spanish, our project will publish all educational materials, including written articles and videos, in both English and Spanish.In objective 5, demonstrations of new sorghum varieties and field days will be conducted in organic farmers' fields in the third and fourth years of the project. The results of this organic sorghum project will be presented at outreach programs held throughout Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. We will also use electronic media to distribute and showcase our results to a national and international audience.
