Sorghum: A Case Study in the Use of Diversity for the Improvement of a Crop.

Sorghum, the fifth most important cereal crop in the world, has historically not received the research input of other crops; however, because of its broad genetic base and the availability of the germplasm, sorghum researchers have been able to quickly address issues affecting sorghum yield and keep sorghum competitive for farmers. Drought tolerance, downy mildew resistance, lodging resistance and greenbug resistance are just a few examples of how exotic germplasm from different regions of the world have been incorporated into sorghum hybrids to maintain and increase yield. Sorghum was the second cereal crop to be sequenced and consequently a small cadre of sorghum scientists have been working to generate both phenotypic and genotypic information to further exploit the broad diversity of the crop. These tools will assist future researchers in identification, utilization, and sharing of important traits and continue to keep sorghum relevant to farmers.