Agromorphological Characterization of Introgression Lines Derived from Wild and Exotic Sorghum Germplasm to Climate Change Challenges

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is vitally important for food security in semi-arid West Africa. The introgression of wild- and high transpiration efficiency genotypes may contribute genes for abiotic stress tolerance or novel traits. Characterizing the introgressed lines can help researchers in the process of varietal improvement. The objectives of this study are (i) To learn if introgression of wild sorghum (CWR) and high transpiration efficiency (HTE) lines into a very early maturing (photoperiod insensitive) local land-race variety can create useful variation for grain yield in drought-prone Sahelian environments, (ii) To determine if grain yield advantages (and putative drought tolerance traits) obtained from introgression of CWR and HTE germplasm are expressed differently in moderately to highly moisture-limited environments, and (iii) To understand the relationship between putative drought tolerance traits. These populations were developed from crosses between the CSM63E (Jakumbe, a high grains quality variety) and two wild parents (accessions) and five high transpiration efficiency (TE) sorghum accessions. Phenotyping was conducted using an alpha lattice design with three replications in two environments for agronomic traits (grain yield and components), flowering time and physiological traits (stay-green, chlorophyll content and lodging). A total of 669 BC1F5 progenies were developed. Genetic variation for grain yield and putative drought tolerant traits were evaluated. Both populations derived from wild parents exhibited in Cinzana a grain yield (>300 g/m2) greater than CSM63E (245 g/m2). In Bema, more than 75% of the progenies of all populations indicated a chlorophyll content at physiological maturity (>30 SPAD) higher than CSM63E (20 SPAD) chlorophyll content. The estimated broad sense heritability was generally high (≥0.50) for all traits. The results also showed a very significant interaction between genotype and environment for grain yield, flowering time, chlorophyll content, stay green and lodging. There was a strong correlation between stay green and chlorophyll content (0.60) on the one hand and between stay green and lodging (0.48) on the other. This great variability could help improve the grain yield of sorghum for farmers in the Sahelian zone.

Redesigning crop varieties to win the race between climate change and food security

Climate change poses daunting challenges to agricultural production and food security.Rising temperatures,shifting weather patterns,and more frequent extreme events have already demonstrated their effects on local,regional,and global agricultural systems.Crop varieties that withstand climate-related stresses and are suitable for cultivation in innovative cropping systems will be crucial to maximize risk avoidance,productivity,and profitability under climate-changed environments.We surveyed 588 expert stakeholders to predict current and novel traits that may be essential for future pearl millet,sorghum,maize,groundnut,cowpea,and common bean varieties,particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.We then review the current progress and prospects for breeding three prioritized future-essential traits for each of these crops.Experts predict that most current breeding priorities will remain important,but that rates of genetic gain must increase to keep pace with climate challenges and consumer demands.Importantly,the predicted future-essential traits include innovative breeding targets that must also be prioritized;for example,(1)optimized rhizosphere microbiome,with benefits for P,N,and water use efficiency,(2)optimized performance across or in specific cropping systems,(3)lower nighttime respiration,(4)improved stover quality,and(5)increased early vigor.We further discuss cutting-edge tools and approaches to discover,validate,and incorporate novel genetic diversity from exotic germplasm into breeding populations with unprecedented precision,accuracy,and speed.We conclude that the greatest challenge to developing crop varieties to win the race between climate change and food security might be our innovativeness in defining and boldness to breed for the traits of tomorrow.