Screening and Selection for Cold and Drought Tolerance in an Ril Population of Grain Sorghum.

Title:  Screening and Selection for Cold and Drought Tolerance In an RIL Population of Grain Sorghum

Abstract:

By virtue of its origins in Africa, sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) is a cereal known for its inherent drought tolerance and high water use efficiency.  Sorghum is well adapted to a great many areas for cultivation outside of Africa where it has been introduced.   Across the developing world such as Asia and Africa, sorghum is used primarily for food, shelter, and fuel for cooking.  In the United States, sorghum is mainly used as feed within the livestock industry and it is beginning to emerge as a viable source for use in the production of bio-energy.  Sorghum production in the United States is mainly within the Sorghum Belt which extends from South Dakota to Texas.  This area of the country is subject to cold soil temperatures during early season planting but also subject to periods of drought during the hotter months of the season.  Drought conditions during the pre- and and post-flowering stages of development is known to reduce yield significantly.  Similarly, cold soil temperatures during early season planting in the highland areas lead to poor stand establishment.  To address these two challenges, an RIL population was created by crossing a line with excellent seedling cold vigor (HongKeZi) and a tropical line with good drought tolerance (BTx623).  Selection of individuals were made based on yield component traits such as large panicle, large stem diameter, and short height.  These selections were then tested for seedling cold vigor under laboratory and field conditions as well as for pre- and post-flowering drought tolerance under greenhouse and field conditions.