Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 6812 I EUROPEAN SEED I EUROPEAN-SEED.COM the market, because we know that farmers want the latest innovation and highest yielding hybrids out there so that they can stay competitive,” according to Staggenborg. Genetic Diversity The research efforts of Chad Hayes, a sorghum breeder and researcher with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service, focus on increasing this quality through traditional breeding and traditional crosses using USDA’s sorghum germplasm bank, which contains more than 40,000 different types of sorghum. Because of its natural hardiness, sorghum grows throughout the world in wide-ranging environments. This high level of variety provides a broad genetic base for researchers to work from. “We can look for DNA markers for specific traits within the sorghum species and apply those to breeding and seed development programs without having to borrow them from other plant species,” Hayes explains. Sorghum breeding companies are searching the world for germplasm, and drawing interesting varieties and lines from Africa, Asia, Australia and the United States. “Our company also licenses germplasm that demonstrates desirable traits and resistances for its breeding program. You need as wide a base of germplasm as you can get,” said Staggenborg. “We have accessed germplasm from global public programs and the USDA breeding program. We typically select those focus traits that we can then combine with already existing germplasm to broaden genetic diversity in our breeding program and create new hybrids.” He continues: “In addition to a traditional breeding program, we’re also known for our molecular biology program. We have a molecular biology program and marker assisted breeding program that allows us to use technology to screen material faster and some of our programs focus on disease resistance in grains and forages. We use our marker assisted breeding to aid our breeders in hybrid development.” He adds that by utilizing molecular technology that is proprietary to Chromatin, it allows the company to create new and unique sorghum hybrids faster, and providing farmers with the latest hybrids for their specific geographic area and need. Targets Plant breeders and food scientists are teaming up to create some of these new products. “With a tremendous amount of corn crops in Europe used for silage, one of our company’s key breeding targets is to develop new hybrids with high digestibility. We’ve created new hybrids that are currently being tested in Europe, and we are seeing good results in those trials,” says Miller. Sorg hu m research has prov ided advancements in lodging resistance, a challenge for almost any crop growing in short-season environments. Cool and wet conditions are ideal for root rot, and when the disease lingers and if the plant is stressed late in its life cycle, these diseases can invade the stalk and can cause stalk rot. “We focus on both genetics as well as other methods to make sure we get plants out of the ground fast while roots develop healthy and disease-free because strong roots and stalks reduce lodging,” says Staggenborg. “We also work with the stay-green trait, which allows leaves to stay green under stress and produce photosynthates that improve stalk strength, even under stress. We have this trait in just about every aspect of the breeding program because this is a common challenge for sorghum. The stay-green trait improves yield and helps reduce lodging in the plant.” The Health and Pet Food Aisles Consumer perception is changing, particularly in the food and ingredients markets. For a long time, sorghum was overlooked, but this is changing. Consumers and buyers today are seeing sorghum as a healthy food with many benefits. The consumer food market, a relatively new area of sorghum expansion, is taking this crop to new heights, not only for its many nutritious qualities, but also its genetic qualities in terms of antioxidants, high protein levels, lower fat, high fiber and the absence of gluten. Sorghum is now used in various applications, such as syrup and molasses, which come from the stalk of sweet sorghum. The grain is also used as a bran and can be popped, like popcorn but smaller. Sorghum’s use isn’t limited to human nutrition, though; it’s long been used as a livestock feed and more recently picked up steam in the pet food market. During the past decade, the pet food market has taken to sorghum for its nutritional benefits and helped to further sorghum research. Sorghum is now considered a superfood in modern pet food. It is rich in antioxidants, has a low glycemic index, is gluten-free, and has measurable dietary fiber. Sorghum also has quality proteins when complemented with sources rich in lysine and processes well into pet food applications. In addition, sorghum offers better digestibility and fiber for pets, such as cats and dogs, and helps animals maintain a good blood sugar balance. Although this niche market is relatively small compared to the larger livestock markets, sorghum provides a cost competitive and nutritious feed ingredient for pet food companies who are using the grain for carbohydrate blends in dog and cat foods. According to the Sorghum Checkoff in the US, sorghum is now used by more than 10 pet food companies in more than 135 products. Future Demand While sorghum is used in many different applications throughout the world, there is still room to grow. Normally it takes up to 10 years to get a new variety to farmers’ fields, and due to producer and seed industry investments, some of the high-quality genetics are now coming to market, which will increase sorghum’s viability and adaptability today and into the future. Maintaining export interest and developing new applications are key to growing the sorghum market. A lthough sorghum is considered an ancient crop domesticated in Africa thousands of years ago, this grain continues to forge ahead in the new millennium. Sorghum’s tenacity to remain a staple crop around the world is largely thanks to its hardiness, market versatility and high- quality seed. Perhaps a diamond in the rough and a crop that deserves more glory than given, sorghum offers many benefits, and new uses continue to be explored. It seems clear that producers and users of sorghum in Europe should be more familiar with this crop so that they can take advantage of some of the unique characteristics of sorghum. Chromatin breeder Kerry Mayfield at a Chromatin test site near Pécs in Hungary.