Recurrent selection for increased outcrossing rates in caudatum-race sorghum from Sudan

• Antragsteller: Dr. Heiko Kurt Parzies (†)
• Fachliche Zuordnung: Pflanzenzüchtung, Pflanzenpathologie
• Förderung: Förderung von 2007 bis 2012
• Projektkennung: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Projektnummer 35941260

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) is a staple food for the majority of people living in the semi-arid areas of the Sudanian-Sahelian zone of Africa but average grain yields are low and variable. Results of published research experiments have demonstrated that sorghum hybrids may display considerable heterosis particularly for grain yield. However, hybrid breeding is not an economic option for most Sudanese sorghum growing areas at present. Developing synthetic varieties with a substantially raised outcrossing rate is considered a promising alternative to enhance yield and stress tolerance. In the caudatum race which prevails in Sudan, the outcrossing rate varies around 16% depending on race, genotype and environment. In our project we want to increase the outbreeding level by recurrent selection (RS) employing molecular markers. Highly heterozygous plants are most likely to have arisen from outcrossing and are likely to carry parental genes for high outcrossing aptitude. Such plants will be selected before flowering and transplanted to a pollen isolated crossing plot for starling a new RS cycle. We expect that four RS cycles can be completed during the project phase with an increase of the average outcrossing rate of about 0.05 per RS cycle. The base population for this project will be composed of about 100 caudatum race cultivars from Sudan. The gain from selection will be assessed in a final multi-location field experiment in the major growing areas of the country.

• DFG-Verfahren: Sachbeihilfen
• Internationaler Bezug: Sudan
• Beteiligte Personen: Professor Dr. Abdelbagi Mukhtar Ali; Professor Dr. Hartwig H. Geiger