www.checkbiotech.org ; www.raupp.info ; www.czu.cz

Soon sorghum researchers in Queensland will have the opportunity to
investigate the genes controlling crop yield, drought adaptation and insect
resistance using the sequence of the sorghum genome.
The "Sorghum Genome Project" was conducted in the USA with funding provided
by the US Department of Energy (DOE), which recognised sorghum as one of the
pre-eminent biomass crops for ethanol production.

"Sorghum is seen by DOE as one of the most promising potential biomass crops
due to its capacity to produce large quantities of plant material and its
greater water use efficiency," says Sorghum Genome Executive Committee and
DPI&F principal plant breeder David Jordan.

"Sorghum is the second major cereal to be sequenced after rice and its
genetic similarity to other grasses means that this information will have
major implications ? not only for sorghum, but for many of the most
important crops grown in Queensland, such as sugarcane, maize, wheat, barley
and turf grasses."

Research teams led by DPI&F and UQ researchers in collaboration with the US
Department of Agriculture and the Texas A&M University will be in the
forefront of the practical application of the genome discoveries.

Their two main sorghum gene projects are: cloning a gene responsible for
sorghum midge resistance; and cloning genes responsible for stay-green
drought-resistance. Other projects will target: improving the feed grain
quality of sorghum and its suitability for ethanol production; and rapidly
increasing the yield and adaptability of Australian sorghum hybrids.

The release of the genome was announced at the recent Plant and Animal
Genome Conference held in San Diego, USA and will be available to Australian
researchers by the middle of the year.

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